


The Darkest Hour

by ckksac



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Intrigue, Kidnapping, Non-Graphic Violence, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-05-14 00:26:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 206,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5722732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ckksac/pseuds/ckksac
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just weeks after moving to Starling City, Felicity Smoak is kidnapped for information she does not have.  She endures weeks of torture before she is rescued by a man in green leather and his partner, John Diggle.  As Felicity begins to put the pieces of her life back together, she realizes the trauma she suffered changed her in unexpected ways.  Restless and with a driving need to help others the way the man in green helped her, she finds herself using her brilliant mind and considerable computer skills to follow a different path fraught with danger and violence.   As Felicity grows closer to the Green Arrow and Diggle, helping them in their cause to save Starling City, the three struggle against unseen enemies, and discover the unexpected truth behind her kidnapping.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [the lovely readers who so beautifully commented on my first story. Thank you](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=the+lovely+readers+who+so+beautifully+commented+on+my+first+story.+Thank+you).



> My mind can't help but imagine myriad scenarios in which Felicity meets Oliver. Some begin with canon and then diverge, others are completely non-canon and of my own imagination. This is one of those non-canon imaginations that I hope you enjoy. As always, I try to stay true to the characters we've grown to love on TV in their actions and dialogue.
> 
> I chose the "Mature" rating for a specific reason. According to AO3, mature means that it is content with adult themes such as sex, violence, etc., that isn't as graphic as explicit-rated content (e.g., porn). I think this story is going to definitely fit within that rating. As for smut..........I received a comment on my last story lamenting the lack of smut. Not all stories require smut. A story can shine without it. I won't write smut for the sake of having smut. If the story calls for it, I'll add it. If not...well, then I won't.
> 
> For those of you familiar with my work, you know I adore Felicity Smoak. I adore Oliver Queen. I adore John Diggle. I adore Original Team Arrow. They are the core of my story. I hope you enjoy this one!

_“Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light.” ~ Norman B. Rice_

Despite the lack of windows in her cell, she always knew when it was night. Their attempts to confuse her failed; their methods developed into a pattern that she figured out during her first week and so she quickly learned when it was night. It started with the fluorescent light creeping in through the cracks around the door to her cell. It would stay steady and bright; uninterrupted by the figures of people passing outside her door. The quiet would slowly become louder. The sound of the water dripping slowly down the far wall would echo through her cell, no longer drowned out by the low, steady murmur of people walking to and fro. The humming of those same fluorescent lights in the hall would buzz through her head like a million bees. Lastly, the air turned colder. Not that it was warm to begin with, but there was a gradual changing in temperature. It was as if the heat that kept her tormentors warm during the day was cut off for the night and whatever warmth seeped in from the hallway through those same cracks around her door disappeared. She knew there were guards at night, keeping an eye on her, or maybe them? She had no idea if she was the only prisoner. She never saw the guards. Ever. She only knew they existed after overhearing one of them give a report that the night passed “uneventfully.”

She lay facing the wall, curled into the smallest ball possible in an effort to keep warm. It was dark in this corner, and she could just make out the stone of the wall inches from her face. Slowly, she rolled to face the other side. The movement was painful and slow, requiring energy she just barely had these days. She examined the glare of the light creeping through the cracks of in the frame. She could hear the water dripping onto the floor from the wall across the room. _Drip. Drip. Drip._ She shivered in the damp air, feeling the chill seep deeply into her bones. She wondered if she would ever feel warm again. She tried to catch her breath, the small, simple movement of rolling over cost her nearly half her strength. She _needed_ to get up. She _had_ to get up. She _had_ to leave her mark. She forced herself to a sitting position; sliding her legs over the side of the cot she lay in, breathing heavily. She pushed herself up, head swimming from lack of food and water. Her teeth chattered and she pulled her threadbare cardigan closer around her in a wasted effort to feel warm. Her legs and feet were bare; the sack-like dress or hospital gown she was forced to wear as thin as paper. She would never be warm. She put a hand against the wall to her right and leaned forward. She would get up.

When they first took her, she knew it was only going to get worse. Kidnapped by gunpoint from her apartment by men in black, stripped of her clothing and forced to wear this hospital gown, and then questioned endlessly on a subject she knew absolutely nothing about over and over again was a solid clue that things would not get any better. The same questions day after day, hour after hour. At first, nobody touched her. They just left her, for hours tied to a chair until they came back and started the process over. The first time she urinated on herself, she was embarrassed and humiliated. After the fifth time, she ceased caring. She was confused about why they kept asking her the same questions, in the same order, every single day. She understood none of their questions. They didn’t believe her. She didn’t know how long it was she stayed in that chair, but one day, they threw her in this cell when they were done questioning her. At first, there had been some food. And water. At one point, she thinks she was given a blanket, but that might have been a dream.

Then, they changed tactics. They asked their questions same as they ways did. She answered their questions the same as she always did. This time, they hooked her up to a machine operated by a man with glasses so thick; his eyes were magnified to the size of half dollars. They asked their questions again. She answered them again. She would never forget the searing pain of the electrical currents the first time they coursed through her. She screamed. And screamed. Over and over until her screams became silent, her voice broken. They were very careful not to leave marks. Of course, some guards were over eager when they escorted her back to her cell, but marks were rare. They couldn’t, however, avoid the burn marks. Occasionally, the burns were treated. They were more often ignored. She was certain she would scar. Did it really matter?

After that first week, she knew they were never going to let her go. So she made a mark by her bed, low where it couldn’t be seen. The second night, she did it again. When they began the torture, she began to forget who she was, where she came from. And so she changed her mark. At first it was a way to track the days, but she still lost count and so it became a way to remember her name. It wasn’t until one morning, the men looked at her with disgust that she realized she had been a prisoner for twenty-one days. She had stared at the blood on her legs and then gave the men a look of defiance. She wasn’t ashamed. What had they expected? She was a woman. There had been nothing since which wasn’t surprising due to the amount of trauma her body was suffering. She could still feel the electric currents in her finger tips from the last session. The first time she cried for help, they laughed. They still laughed but she no longer cried. She was certain no one was looking for her.

 _I’m going to die here_ , she suddenly thought. She felt the stirrings of anger at the idea that this was where her life would end. She felt anger that before she could do _anything_ , make _some_ difference, her life would end over something she knew nothing about. The injustice of it scorched through her body. Harnessing that feeling, using it to fuel her strength, she pushed herself up, and leaning heavily on the wall, shuffled over to the other side of her cell. They called it her room. She called it her cell. Sinking to her knees, she picked up the rusted screw she had forced from the bed her first night here. Her hand shaking, she began making her mark. Every movement was an exercise in determination and grit. She just wanted to lie on the cot and sleep. But she refused to let them win. She refused to be erased. So she kept scratching at the wall with the rusted screw, her fingertips started to bleed from the repeated scraping against the stone wall.

She was just starting on the third mark when a low popping breached the silence. She raised her head, startled. She tried to quiet her breathing while she strained to hear more. The silence pressed down on her. _Even in my mind, I’m dreaming of a rescue_ , she thought, thoroughly disgusted that she continued to hope for someone to save her. Contrarily, in the deepest corner of her mind, she was pleased that she still had the capacity to hope. Despite her constant attempts at facing the reality of her situation, that small flame of hope refused to be extinguished. Perhaps she was forever an optimist. _I’m going to die an optimist_ , she thought, shaking her head at the irony. She was in the midst of turning back to the wall when she heard the sounds again. This time, slightly louder. She realized that the guards were shooting their guns. Dropping the screw, she crawled over to her door and tried to peer out into the hall through the crack beneath it. Of course, there was nothing to see but the wall opposite her cell. She listened intently and then heard the faint sounds of heavy boots walking down the hall. The steps were coming closer. She scrambled back from the door, fear propelling her every movement. Eyes wide with terror, she stared at the crack beneath her door. Light continued to shine in unabated which meant whoever was walking down the hall had stopped, just not outside her door. She jumped as the sound of a door being broken came from close by. She hadn’t realized there was a cell that close to her. She caught the murmur of voices, the higher sound of one identifying one as female. Two male voices exchanged a few quick words she couldn’t make out and then she heard footsteps receding. She didn’t move. The footsteps didn’t sound the same walking away. Which meant....realization dawned as another set of footsteps began walking towards her cell.

She pushed herself back towards her cot and managed to slide it slightly away from the wall. She tucked herself into the corner, bringing her legs to her chest, attempting to make herself as small as possible. An easy feat considering the amount of weight she lost. She was barely visible in the darkness of the room. Only the white gleam of her feet was visible, the chipped sparkling fuchsia polish winking dully up at her. She hurriedly tucked them under her gown. She cringed as her door came crashing open, pieces of wood flying everywhere. A figure stood in the doorway like some avenging angel, taking in its contents. She tried not to make any movement as the figure looked around the room, his gaze sweeping right over her. She was well hidden in the darkest corner of the room, where not even the light from the hallway reached.

The figure was turning from the room when her foot slipped out, sliding across the stone floor. She gasped before she could stop herself and the figure whipped around, a bow and arrow at the ready. She stared in fascination at the bow and arrow. _He’s carrying a bow and arrow_ , she thought incredulously. It was not a little bit ridiculous and suddenly images of Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland in an old, classic movie danced through her head. She realized he was walking towards her, and yes, she knew it was a man, his figure becoming clearer as he drew closer. He was tall and well-muscled, dressed in green leather, a hood shadowing his eyes along with a mask and grease paint to further disguise his features. When he spied her, he lowered the bow. He quickly looked her over, and for some odd reason, she was suddenly conscious of the greasy, tangled strands of her hair hanging in her face. _Hair in desperate need of a salon and blonde dye_ , she thought absently. He glanced around the room and saw what he could not see from the doorway. The marks she made every day since she arrived covered the entire wall by the door.

“She was right. I found another.” His voice was odd, distorted and mechanical sounding. At first, Felicity thought he was talking to himself and then she realized he seemed to have some sort of communication piece set up and was speaking with someone she couldn’t see. An old dormant part of her stirred in interest of this communication set up. _I wonder what he’s using_ , she thought, different technology running through her head. It startled her. She hadn’t thought about stuff like this since she was taken.

“I think her name is Felicity Smoak,” he replied. “At least that is what the wall says.” He listened to whoever it was on the other side of his comm unit again. Turning to the wall, he scanned the wall with some sort of device he removed from his belt. She stared at him in continued fascination. That ridiculous dream that someone would come and rescue her suddenly didn’t seem so ridiculous. Was this real? The man in green crouched before her and she snapped back into the moment. She cringed away from him, tugging her cardigan tightly around her. She peered at him through the tangled strands of her hair.

“Sssshhh,” he soothed, or as much as he could soothe with his voice sounding like it was being squeezed out the other end of a tin can. He sounded as if he was trying to calm a child and for some reason, it irritated her that he thought he was speaking to a child.

“I didn’t say anything, so why are you shushing me?” she retorted in a whisper and then pressed her lips together. He drew back in surprise and she saw the sudden smile flash across his face. He froze, seemingly surprised to have smiled and that had her cocking her head to the side, wondering why. Why would smiling be weird for him?

“I guess they didn’t quite break your spirit, did they?” he said, and she couldn’t help but hear the admiration in his voice. She didn’t answer, just pushed herself further into the corner. He put out his hand in invitation. She stared at his hand, encased in a green leather glove, and then at him. Or at least she tried to stare at him. His eyes were shadowed by the hood he wore, but she could just make out the shine of blue glinting from behind his mask.

“Would you like to go home?” he asked, the gentle tones evident beneath whatever it was that distorted his voice. She looked at his hand again and slowly nodded.

“Then take my hand and I will get you safely out of here.”

She continued to stare at his hand. _This could be a trick_ , she suddenly thought. She wouldn’t put it past the people who were keeping her to attempt to lull her into thinking she was saved, to play on her one hope, to exploit what they saw as her weakness. She could feel him staring at her, the intensity pressing into her. She thought there was a truth to his words but didn’t quite trust her instincts. Her mind was sluggish again and she had to push herself to think. His head suddenly turned towards the door and she saw his other hand come up to press on something he wore by his ear.

“I’m trying, but she’s hesitant…..how many……how much time……get me an aerial exit at extraction point two…….just trust me.”

He turned back to her and spoke urgently. “If you want to go home, we need to leave. Now. There are people coming. I think you might be familiar with these people. Take my hand. I’ll get you out of here. I won’t let them hurt you. I promise.”

She looked between his shadowed eyes and his hand, feeling the urgency rolling off him in waves. Her own stomach hitched at the sudden need to leave and to leave now. She slowly lifted her hand and placed it in his; he clasped it tightly as he helped her to her feet. Still holding her hand, he watched as she swayed, clearly too weak to run much less walk on her own. He muttered beneath his breath and then swept her up into his arms, carrying her with ease. She tried to protest but she was so tired and she knew that she would never be able to keep up with him. The solid bulk of his chest told her that this was not a man that only looked good in leather, but out of it as well. _Where on earth did that come from_ , she thought, embarrassed at actually having such a thought in the middle of a rescue. She stayed silent as the man in green moved quickly and confidently through the building and out to the courtyard, a courtyard with no exit. At first, she thought she had been fooled, but then the sound of a helicopter approaching filled the silence of the night. Looking over his shoulder, she could just make out men swarming through the building, descending on their position. She tapped his shoulder.

“Behind you,” she whispered. Placing her on her feet, the man in green held her up with one arm around her waist. She placed a hand on his bicep for balance as he whirled and threw an arrow with his other arm, lodging it in the frame of the door leading out from the building. The helicopter she heard hovered in the sky above them and a long, thick black rope dropped down in front of them. Her eyes widened and she started to shake her head. She didn’t realize that she was saying ‘no’ over and over again in a sudden panic until his voice penetrated her fear.

“Hey, hey…look at me. Felicity? Right? That’s your name, right? Well, Felicity, I’ve got you. Nothing is going to happen. You’ll be okay. Hold on to me tight, Felicity. Okay?”

Hearing him say her name repeatedly made her made her stomach flip. No one had called her by that name since before she was taken. She nodded and lifted her arms to lock them around his neck. Looking up at him, her tangled blonde hair fell away from her face. The lights from the helicopter shown down on her and the man in green inhaled sharply at his first clear look at her. He stared down at her, his eyes blazing and his mouth opened but whatever he was going to say was lost as he noticed the men in the building converging on the door to the courtyard. He pushed a button on a remote hooked to his jacket and the arrow he had thrown at the door exploded, providing a smoke screen for their escape.

A small gasp escaped her as the ground beneath her feet suddenly disappeared. Holding on tightly, she buried her face in his neck as she realized that the rope was being pulled upwards. She inhaled his scent, taking it deep inside her. She would always remember the scent of summer storms and evergreens heavy with rain. He murmured words of comfort she could not hear as they were pulled towards the helicopter. She felt the rope sway and realized the helicopter was flying while they were still being pulled up. She shrieked and his arm tightened around her, the constant rumbling of his voice increasing. There was a jolt and when she opened her eyes, she realized they reached the helicopter. From the corner of her eye, she could see rooftops skimming by as the helicopter flew from the site of her imprisonment. She looked back over the man in green’s shoulder and could just make out the smoke from his exploding arrow. Her mind mentally mapped the location of the building. Turning back to look up the final few feet to the helicopter, she saw another man wearing a balaclava reaching down to take her from the man in green. She shook her head and clung tighter to him.

“It’s okay, he’s a friend. He’s just going to help you into the helicopter. I’m right behind you. Give him your hand, Felicity. Trust him. Trust me.”

Looking back at up, she saw the second man patiently waiting. He held out a hand, his eyes gentle and reassuring behind the balaclava. She lifted her hand to his and with one arm; the second man lifted her effortlessly into the helicopter. She kept her eyes on the man in green, ready to dive out after him if he left her there. She didn’t understand this feeling of utter safety with him, but she knew without a doubt he would not let anything happen to her. He swung his legs up and in seconds he was in the helicopter. He slid the door close and grabbing a blanket, he wrapped it around her as he settled onto the bench next to her. He didn’t look at her, but rather at another figure huddled in the embrace of the second man.

“How is she?” he yelled above the noise of the helicopter, again that gentle tone evident beneath the voice modulator. The second man just shrugged, pain flashing in his eyes.

“Let’s just get them to a hospital,” the second man replied, turning back to the other woman and covering her with a second blanket. The woman clutched the blanket to her, squeezing the man’s hand. He pulled her back to him, holding her tightly, surrounding the woman in his warmth. The connection between the two was palpable and she was envious. The second man obviously had been looking for the woman he held so tenderly. There was no one looking for her.

The man in green turned back to where she huddled on the bench. He studied her face, his eyes lingering on the faint trace of a bruise along her jaw. A small tic began in his cheek at the sight of the bruise. He pulled out another blanket and began wrapping her in it. He smoothed her hair back, his hands cupping her face for a moment before tucking the blanket more firmly around her.

“We’re taking you to a hospital,” he finally said. She nodded. She knew she needed medical attention. Badly.

“I can’t go with you,” he continued, “do you understand?” She nodded again. Of course he couldn’t go with her. He wore a mask and a hood. Something told her that what he did wasn’t exactly legal. Still, she couldn’t help the shiver of fear that coursed through her at being alone.

“I’ll be close,” he said, seeing her anxiety. “I promise.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, and then promptly passed out. She would have fallen to the floor if he didn’t have the reflexes he had. Instead, the man in green found himself holding her in his arms. And it felt right.

* * *

 The helicopter began its descent to the roof of Starling City General Hospital. Oliver could see a team of medical personnel waiting. He looked down at the woman he held, but she didn’t stir. The faint rise and fall of her chest assured him she was alive, but she was so still. So pale. Something about her captivated him. It was clear that she had been tortured, but that burst of spirit she demonstrated proved to him she hadn’t broken. He wondered who she was and why she was taken.

As the helicopter touched down, the medical team rushed forward. A.R.G.U.S. had called ahead to ensure the best medical care would be made available to one of their own. John Diggle removed his balaclava and other tactical gear, stowing it beneath the seat. He gathered his wife, Lyla, more tightly into his arms, moving towards the door of the helicopter. As it slid open, he jumped down, barely jostling Lyla and placed her on the gurney himself. The medical team surrounded her, and began rushing towards the elevators. Diggle turned back to Oliver.

“Cover story is in place. I’ll call you,” was all he said before following his wife into the hospital. Most of the medical personnel had left with Lyla, leaving a nurse and orderly behind. They stared in surprise at Oliver, not recognizing him as the Oliver Queen of the Queen family, one of the wealthiest families in Starling City. He remained safely disguised in his hood and mask. They recognized him as the Green Arrow and no one else. He was legend in Starling City. There were some that feared him. That was good. There were others that reviled him. That was also good. And there were others that were grateful for him and saw him as a hero. He wasn’t sure that was so good. The nurse was visibly nervous at his presence but then spied the figure he held in his arms. She immediately straightened, pulling her mantle of professionalism around her. She rushed to the door of the helicopter, peering into the bay.

“We were told there was only one casualty,” she yelled above the whirring blades of the helicopter.

“We found her as well,” was all he said, his voice barely audible over the helicopter since he was still using the voice modulator. The nurse motioned to the orderly to take her from Oliver. He moved forward to pass her to the orderly but found he was reluctant to do so. Heshook his head and then moved to the door. The orderly held his arms out, but Oliver still didn’t lower Felicity to the orderly’s arms.

“Sir?” the orderly yelled, confused. “She looks bad off. Let us take her in, get her help.” The orderly continued to hold out his arms, waiting. Oliver hesitated, looking down in to Felicity’s face. He didn’t understand this feeling, this worry over the fate of some woman he didn’t know but happened to rescue. She wasn’t the first woman he’d rescued since his return to Starling City. Yet, there was something about her. Something he could not quite define.

“Sir?” the nurse yelled. Oliver looked up and realized they were both staring at him. The pilot had also turned and was staring at him as well. Shaking his head, he reluctantly handed her to the orderly. Before he could move away from the helicopter, Oliver gripped the orderly’s shoulder in a punishing hold, causing him to wince.

“Anything happens to her between now and getting to the emergency room is on you. I will know. I will come for you. I will hurt you.”

The orderly nodded nervously and Oliver released him. The nurse looked between Felicity and Oliver, not quite sure what this woman meant to the Green Arrow. Regardless, it was clear she was important to him.

“We’ll take care of her,” the nurse promised. “We won’t let anything more happen to her.” She and the orderly moved away, heading for the elevators. Oliver held onto to the door of the helicopter as it rose into the air, his gaze fixed on Felicity’s body as she disappeared in the arms of the orderly into the elevator. He rubbed at his chest, a feeling of emptiness spreading within him. Shaking his head, he turned back to the pilot and after a quick conversation; the pilot maneuvered the helicopter above an old abandoned apartment building in The Glades. Oliver dropped out the short distance and stayed still until the helicopter disappeared. Only then did he make his way to his hideout to change and return home as Oliver Queen.

* * *

 John hovered over Lyla as a doctor provided by A.R.G.U.S. examined her. The doctor gently lifted Lyla’s arm, examining the circle of bruises meticulously space on the inside of her forearm.

“Electrodes,” she suddenly said her voice flat and disinterested, “they used electric pulses as a method of torture.”

John flexed his fingers but said nothing. She had only been their prisoner for just over five days. Two hours or five days, it didn’t matter to him. Any amount of time was too long. Yet he said nothing. There was a stranger in the room, so he stayed silent.

“I’m going to order fluids, an antibiotic to clear anything you may have been exposed to, and some cream for these burns. Most importantly, you need to rest. I’m ordering you to be kept overnight,” the doctor replied, laying Lyla’s arm back on the bed. Lyla opened her mouth to argue, but he held up a hand. “Overnight,” he repeated and left the room.

John squeezed the bridge of his nose, a wealth of anger humming inside him. The feel of Lyla’s hand on his arm had him looking up. He saw understanding, fear and pain, yet an undeniable well of strength shining in her eyes. This was Lyla.

“Don’t, Johnny, don’t. This wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t mine. It’s just part of what we do. It’s what I’m trained to do. I knew you would find me. I didn’t doubt for one second. So, please, Johnny. Don’t reduce me to some weepy little girl. Not here. I promise I’ll cry, but not right now.”

John grasped her hand, holding it tightly, giving her palm a slow, lingering kiss. Her fingers brushed his cheek as he nodded his support. She never cried, except when she was alone with him. He’s certain he’s the only one to ever see her cry. Their field of work wasn’t exactly welcoming to women, especially one as talented as Lyla. She put the baddest, strongest men to shame. Those truly confident welcomed her with open arms. The threatened were snide and offensive. John was captivated the first moment he saw her in action.

A nurse came in and set up an IV antibiotic then quietly left the room. John sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at his wife. Her eyes were closed but he knew she wasn’t sleeping. He studied her face, seeing faint traces of pain in the lines around her mouth. He tightened his hand around hers, giving it another lingering kiss. He smiled when he saw Lyla’s lips quirk upwards.

“Who’s the other woman?” he asked her softly. Lyla opened her eyes. She shook her head.

“I don’t know. God, Johnny, they tortured her worse than me. They barely got started on me before you and Oliver crashed their party. She was already there when I was brought in. I don’t know for how but it has to have been at least a few months. The glimpses I had of her….God, Johnny, she was so emaciated. So young….I nearly broke my silence just to end their torture of her. The worst were her attempts to scream. Her voice was broken, so she couldn’t. But every now and then, you could hear her. Did Oliver find out her name?”

“According to the wall of her cell, it’s Felicity Smoak. I don’t recognize the name. I don’t know why they would want her. Do you?”

Lyla thought about it for a moment and then shook her head.

“I don’t recognize it either. Is she okay, Johnny?”

John nodded slowly, “I think so. She’s here, but the doctors won’t tell me anything since I’m not next of kin. I gave them her name so they can find her family.”

Lyla nodded her head again, her eyes slipping closed. She heard John move a chair closer to the bed, settling into it, his hand still clasping hers. She sank into sleep, knowing she was safe.

* * *

Oliver paced the living room of the Queen family mansion, phone clutched in his hand. Diggle hadn’t called and Oliver was about done waiting. Only, he had no reason to show up at the hospital and inquire after some girl he didn’t know. He could, however, certainly go check on Lyla. After all, to the world Diggle was Oliver’s faithful bodyguard. It would only be natural for Oliver to pay his respects to Lyla. He was sure he could concoct some story to check on the girl, but if she was awake, how would he explain his presence? He wondered again who she was and why those people had her. Oliver shoved a hand through his hair and then rubbed it across his jaw. He needed to shave. Looking down at his phone, he cursed and decided he was done waiting.

Whirling to head up to his room, he saw his mother staring at him from the doorway. He hesitated, unsure how long she had been watching him.

“Oliver? Is something troubling you?” she asked, moving into the room. Moira Queen was the epitome of grace and elegance. She was also diabolically clever with a clear agenda. For Moira, it was quite simple. The Queen family legacy will live and there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for her family, especially her children. When Oliver had returned from the dead after being shipwrecked on an island, a group of individuals attempted to kidnap him. Not realizing that Oliver was fully capable of taking care of himself, she hired John Diggle to become his bodyguard. Little did Moira know, she was the impetus of a friendship that grew until it was stronger than steel. Together, Diggle and Oliver did what they could to save Starling City from falling into the hands of the corrupt. Occasionally, those corrupt included old family friends. Oliver often wondered if a time would come when he would have to save the city from his own mother.

“Good morning, Mom. No. Well, yes. Diggle’s wife, Lyla, was in an accident last night involving a drunk driver. I was just going upstairs to clean up and then head over to the hospital to pay my respects.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Moira said, studying Oliver carefully. “Please give Mr. and Mrs. Diggle my regards and let Mr. Diggle know if there is anything at all we can do, he only need ask.”

Oliver nodded, and after kissing his mother on the cheek, escaped into the foyer. He could feel the weight of her stare as he ran up the stairs towards his bedroom.

“Oliver?” she called, waiting until he stopped and looked down at her from the stairs. “Where was the accident? I have a meeting this afternoon with city leaders and the Police Commissioner will be there. It may be worth discussing more police checkpoints for DUIs. After all, with Thea on the rode more often now, I’d feel better.”

Oliver stared down at his mother. He hesitated a moment before answering.

“I’m not quite sure, Mom. But I believe it was near the bridge over by the Warehouse District. She was driving home.”

Moira stared up at him a moment longer before nodding.

“Don’t forget to give the Diggle’s my best,” she said before turning back the living room. Oliver continued up the stairs more slowly, somewhat convinced his mother knew exactly how he spent his evenings.

* * *

It took him just over an hour to get to the hospital. He cursed every stoplight, slow driver, and pedestrian in his way. Stepping off the elevator on Lyla’s floor, he began walking towards the nurse’s station when he saw Diggle step out of a private room. Diggle looked at him in surprise, eyebrows raised.

“What?” Oliver said, but Diggle just stared at him. Oliver shifted on his feet and then blurted out, “You didn’t call.”

Diggle’s eyebrows shot up higher and Oliver bent his head, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew exactly how idiotic he sounded. He couldn’t help it. He wanted to, but he couldn’t.

How’s Lyla?” he asked, noting the exhaustion on Diggle’s face.

“As good as can be expected after a week of electric torture. She’s a fighter, though. She’ll be fine.”

Oliver heard everything Diggle wasn’t saying and clasped him on the shoulder. He could see how much this was costing Diggle. All Diggle wanted to do was to protect his family, his friends and his city. Of course, falling in love with a woman whose job was just as dangerous, if not more so, made it all the more difficult on him. As an A.R.G.U.S. agent, Lyla was one of their best field operatives. Diggle respected her abilities, but that didn’t mean he didn’t hate every minute she was in danger. It was the same for Lyla. Which was why they were so often in the field together; they trusted no one as much as each other with Oliver being the lone exception. The men nodded at each other, complete understanding between them.

“And the girl? Felicity.” Oliver was unable to wait any longer for news on the mystery woman. He lowered his voice, stepping into a small alcove across from Lyla’s room. Diggle followed him, quickly looking around as he began to brief Oliver.

“Yeah, her name is Felicity Megan Smoak. She went missing two months ago. Disappeared from her apartment and when she didn’t show for work, a friend went by her place after Miss Smoak failed to answer any phone calls. She saw the mess in the apartment through a window and called the cops. No family so after a few days of searching with no leads; she became another unsolved case in an overworked police department. She barely made the news, Oliver. The friend came to the hospital this morning. She appears to be the closest thing to family this girl has.” Diggle shook his head sadly. He had been able to peek in on the girl before they moved her to a secure floor. Every protective instinct of his flared at the sight of this mere slip of a girl curled up in small ball on the hospital bed.

“Two months? She looked like she’d been there longer.”

Diggle looked at Oliver, debating on whether to tell him what Lyla had said about the girl. Oliver looked at him expectantly. It wasn’t their style to keep secrets.

“Lyla said they tortured her something fierce. So much so that Lyla said she nearly broke herself just to save that girl.”

Oliver looked away, seemingly calm but John saw his fingers rubbing together and knew he was anything but calm. For some reason, this girl affected Oliver in a way no other had since his return from the island. He knew why Oliver was here. He wanted to see the girl, to check on her. On any other day, Diggle would be relieved to see this bit of humanity in his friend but not today. This girl did not know Oliver Queen. She wasn’t exactly the type that ran in the same social circles as Oliver and his friends. For Oliver to try and see her would only raise questions from the hospital staff, the police, hell, even the press. And if what he was slowly learning about the girl was true, the majority of any questions would come from her. He needed to pull Oliver back.

“You can’t go see her, Oliver. You know that, right? Oliver Queen cannot visit Felicity Smoak. Are you hearing me?”

“I know, Dig, I know. It’s just….I need to know that she’s okay. I need to know that she’s safe….…..there’s something about her. I feel responsible for her. I just need to see her.” Oliver shrugged his shoulders, trying to relieve the tightness in his chest.

Diggle sighed. “Right now, Oliver, she’s in a closely guarded room while the police as well as federal agents try to figure out why someone had it bad for her. I’ll keep an eye on her while I’m here, the best I can. Let you know if anything happens, when she’s sent home. Okay?”

Oliver nodded, not quite hiding the disappointment from his expression. He walked out of the alcove.

“Give Lyla my best,” he said as he headed back towards the elevators. Diggle nodded and watched as Oliver reached to press a button in the elevator

“You can’t go see her,” Diggle said in reminder.

“Oliver Queen can’t go see her,” he shot back, grinning at Diggle.

“Leave it alone, Oliver.”

Oliver shot Diggle middle finger as the doors closed, pleased to hear the bark of laughter. He did, however, take the elevator down, leaving the hospital despite every fiber in his being urging him to go see her. He would go see her. Just not as Oliver Queen.

* * *

Felicity jerked awake, her breathing harsh and ragged. She could hear the sound of her own screams echoing in her mind. She looked down at her arm, the bandages covering the burns from the electrodes used on her. She touched her jaw gingerly, remembering that it was one of her snarky comments that resulted in a fist to her jaw. She had never been hit before. She lay still, breathing deeply, using the techniques the trauma specialist had taught her earlier today. She lay on her side, staring out the window, savoring the sight of the city lights twinkling in the distance. A small light glowed near the foot of her bed; a night light of sorts, the kind that small children needed when they were frightened of the dark. She was afraid of the dark. _I am 25 years old, and I’m afraid of the dark_ , she thought to herself.

She was about to roll over onto her back when she suddenly realized she wasn’t alone. She froze, fear causing her heartbeat to spike. Her breath which had been slowly returning to normal, became shallow again as she tried to look around the room without moving her head. There was a slight rustling, and he stepped from the shadows. Her whole body trembled in relief as the man in green stepped into her field of vision. She closed her eyes, inhaling shakily, catching the wild scent of a summer storm, the hint of evergreens soaking in the rain. She would know him by his scent alone.

“I’m sorry,” he soothed, his voice still disguised by a voice modulator. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Felicity gave a shaky smile. If she were honest, everything frightened her. And she hated that. Hated how scared she felt at every noise, the certain timbre of a man’s voice, the hum of the hospital fluorescent lights; everything frightened her. Something about the man in green told her he would understand.

“I think the Easter Bunny would frighten me right now,” she blurted out, her voice hoarse from her time in captivity. She closed her eyes at how ridiculous she sounded but not before she saw the ghost of a smile cross his face. She took another deep breath and then pushed herself up to a sitting position, brushing her hair out of her face.

“You didn’t frighten me,” she croaked, her voice hoarse from her time spent screaming. The damage to her vocal cords would take a few weeks to heal, the doctor said, but it would heal. “I had a nightmare.”

“Of the people who kidnapped you?”

Felicity didn’t say anything, just nodded her head, hands twisting the blankets that had fallen to her lap. The top of the hospital scrubs she wore fell off one shoulder, leaving it bare. The nurses tried to put her in a hospital gown. Apparently, she went ballistic at the idea. It wasn’t until a doctor came in with a pair of scrubs, calling everyone in the room an idiot that she calmed. That and the fact he was holding a needle convinced her that the scrubs were nothing like the hospital gowns. She would not be sedated.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” she finally said, her voice still shaking from the remnants of her nightmare and his sudden appearance. Reaching for the water on the bedside table, she found he was already there, pouring her a fresh cup of water. He kept his face slightly averted, but she could still see the light stubble covering his face, the sensual curve of his lips.

“Thank you,” she murmured, taking the cup.

“I told you I’d be close. I had to wait until the news of your return died down before I could see you.”

Felicity nodded, understanding why he couldn’t have come sooner. It had been three days since her return. She was just on the verge of accepting that she wouldn’t see him again and now he was here. She was glad to be wrong.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he continued, his concern clearly evident. “ _Are_ you okay?”

She sensed there was more to why he was here but couldn’t quite put her finger on what. She shrugged.

“Define okay,” she said wryly, taking another sip, before handing him the cup back. He placed it on the table and then rolled it closer to her before moving back into the shadows.

“Do you have to do that?” she asked, her eyes searching the shadows where he stood.

“What?” he asked genuinely confused.

“Hide in the shadows. I promise not to try to get a peek under the hood. No matter how tempting,” she tried to joke. It fell flat and Felicity bit her lip.

“It’s better that I do. At some point, the police will ask you about me, whether I spoke, if you saw my face. You’ll be able to tell the truth and say you couldn’t see much of anything.”

Felicity laughed bitterly, or at least tried to. The damage to her vocal cords made her sound like a dying bullfrog.

“I told the truth every time those people asked their questions, demanded their answers. I had no idea what they were talking about….yet they didn’t believe me and they found delightful ways to show me they didn’t believe me.”

She heard him swear under his breath at her words, the leather of his gloves creaking as he curled his hands into fists. She sensed his anger at her words, but it wasn’t anger at her. It was on her behalf, for what she had been through. Felicity swallowed, blinking rapidly to hide the tears suddenly forming. The idea that this man who didn’t know the first thing about her, felt anger for what happened to her caused a flutter in her belly. _No one was looking for me_ , she thought. And this time, she knew that was true. The police had stopped investigating and without family to demand answers, to pester for progress, she became another number in their unsolved case files.

“What did they want?” he asked, taking a small step out of the shadows. Felicity shook her head. Swallowing hard, she kept shaking her head back and forth. She raised her knees under the mountain of blankets on her bed, gripping them tightly to her chest. She turned her face from him, staring at the wall opposite her bed.

“I can’t. I can’t. I can’t,” Felicity repeated, over and over, almost like a mantra. Her voice became a whisper as she kept saying it. _At any moment, I’m going to start rocking back and forth like a crazy person. If I don’t stop he’ll leave, and that will be that_ , she thought to herself. Yet, she could not stop. The idea of talking about any of it, at all, terrified for some unknown reason. So she just kept shaking her head, whispering that she couldn’t. A heavy hand fell on her shoulder, warm and gentle, and she fell silent, but kept her face turned from him, her knees protectively against her chest. His hand squeezed her shoulder in comfort before letting go. He didn’t fade back into the shadows this time, but stayed close enough that she could feel the heat from his body. They were silent for a moment and Felicity could feel his gaze roving over her profile.

“When do you go home?” he asked after a longer moment in which Felicity kept waiting for him to make some excuse to leave. Surprised, she answered immediately.

“Day after tomorrow. Only, I’m going to a hotel. A friend was able to put my stuff in storage for me when my landlord notified her that he couldn’t hold my apartment any longer. He kept it for almost the entire time I was gone. Nice guy.”

“A hotel? You don’t want to stay with your friend?”

She shook her head slowly, chewing her bottom lip as she searched for the words to explain that despite months isolated in a cell except for when – No, she wasn’t going to think about that right now – that despite the isolation of her captivity, she wanted to be alone.

“I just….I’m not ready….it’s too much……all these people walking in and out of my room here….bright smiles, pretending nothing bad happen…..I’m grateful, truly, to be here, to be alive….but the noise…..it’s too much,” she repeated. The man in green nodded in understanding and she caught the considering look in his eyes before he looked down at the floor.

“I don’t know what to call you,” she said suddenly and her face flushed scarlet. “I mean, in my head I call you the man in green which, if I’m honest, is a bit of a romanticism….not that I think about you in a romantic way, I mean really, I just met you….God, I sound stupid. I’m really not stupid. I’m actually a genius. Like a bona fide genius, not that I’m bragging, but..….God, I need to stop. So what was I asking? Oh, do you have a name? Of course, you have a name, only you can’t tell me your name. I mean, you’re in disguise.” Felicity trailed off, mortified at the sudden display of one of her less attractive qualities. _Looks like some things can’t be tortured out of you_ , she thought woefully. She looked up sharply when she heard the huff of laughter coming from him.

“You don’t know who I am?” he asked, still smiling. Felicity looked at him in surprise.

“Should I?”

“Everyone in the city does,” he replied.

“Sorry. I was kidnapped only a few weeks after moving here. I’m behind on the vigilante edition of who’s who in the zoo that is Starling City,” Felicity said, amused at how offended he sounded that she had no idea who he was. Another smile flashed across his face.

“The city calls me the Green Arrow,” he said, his voice tinged with amusement. Felicity nodded as if it made all the sense in the world. They didn’t say anything for a moment.

“It’s a weird name,” she finally said and this time he laughed aloud. She felt a small smile curve her lips. This feels normal, she thought. They fell silent again, and again she wondered why he was really here. He didn’t need to come in her room to find out if she was okay. She was sure he could easily sweep in with no one knowing, including herself, see that she was okay and sweep right back out. Instead, he was here, talking with her. Felicity watched him in the shadows, the way he held himself so still, ready to move at any threat. She realized she felt safer with him here, and that disturbed her. She needed to feel safe alone. She needed to feel safe and confident in herself. She was about to ask him why he was really here when she realized his gaze was fixated across the room. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the very large and ostentatious bouquet of flowers she received this morning had caught his attention.

“From my former boss,” she explained and then frowned. “Actually, my current boss. He said I could have my job back. It’s very kind of him.”

“Your boss fired you while you were missing?” he asked incredulously. She nodded, giving a small shrug.

“Well, yeah. When they didn’t find me, my friend said most everyone decided I had run off. So they fired me. Of course, it wasn’t really a firing. They just stopped paying me after I didn’t show for a week or so.”

Felicity rubbed her forehead, feeling exhaustion beginning to take over and her mind began to wander. Her energy was better but she still required endless hours of sleep. At least they had taken the I.V. out. She was eating solid food again. At least, she thought it was solid food. It was all so bland. What she really wanted was Big Belly Burger.

“So you have a job. Where do you work?” he asked. He couldn’t help his small smile as she yawned loudly. He needed to leave so she could rest.

“Sorry….Hmmm?” Felicity refocused on the man in green. “Oh, Queen Consolidated.”

If she hadn’t been looking at him, she would have missed the small jerk of surprise he gave at the name of her employer. She was about to ask him why that surprised him, when a noise at her hospital room door alerted them to someone about to enter her room. She turned, and saw a nurse entering, pulling her vitals cart with her. Felicity looked quickly back to the man in green but he was already gone. Frowning, she looked towards the window and saw him, hanging on some sort of line just outside. She heard the gentle click of the window closing. She moved her gaze to him just as he turned his head to look at her. His hood had fallen slightly back and she could see his eyes better, blue with deep shadows. _Wounded eyes_ , she thought, _like the ones that stare back at me in the mirror_. Their eyes met and held. Felicity felt a low tug from somewhere in her belly, almost like a calling and she found herself at the window, her hand pressed against the glass. From behind her, Felicity could hear the nurse, but her focus remained on the man in green. He hovered outside her window, his gaze fixated on her. She stared back solemnly. His message was clear in the unwavering intensity of his gaze. She would see him again. She nodded and after one final look, he disappeared from sight.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Diggle unearth as much as they can about Felicity and the people responsible for her and Lyla's kidnapping. Felicity leaves the hospital and meets Diggle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the positive feedback!
> 
> I'll be adding a few characters, both familiar and original, so this chapter begins the groundwork to their roles in the story.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

It was not, by any stretch of the imagination, how Oliver intended to spend his evening.  He tugged on the cuffs of his shirt, and ran a hand over his face as he approached the drawing room. The low murmur of voices came from inside along with the clink of glasses as drinks were poured.  Oliver paused to mentally braced himself for an evening of sheer boredom.  His plan to meet Diggle at the lair was shot to hell thanks to a dinner party his mother had put together.  While Diggle sifted through information on Felicity Smoak, Oliver would be making polite conversation with some of Starling City’s finest families and businessmen and women.  It wasn’t that long ago that he simply would not have shown, paying the price later with a long lecture and looks of disappointment from his mother.  In fact, he attempted to do just that but was thwarted earlier in the afternoon as he was making his escape.  He was running down the front stairs for a hasty getaway, only to pull up short when he saw Moira waiting by front of the door.   His excuses about missing the dinner party were met with an icy look from Moira, followed by a twenty minute lecture on his responsibilities as a junior executive at Queen Consolidated and, some day, the head of their family.

“One day, Oliver, you will head Queen Consolidated and this family.  The men and women attending this dinner, their families and business interests, are vital for keeping QC at the top.  Your evening plans,” she said, a look of distaste slipping into her eyes, “can wait until later.  I expect you at dinner.”  Without waiting for a reply, Moira disappeared into the library, leaving Oliver with very little choice.

So here he was, prepared to act the perfect son and junior executive for his mother’s guests. Oliver walked into the drawing room and was immediately greeted by his mother.  Moira beamed up at him as she slid her arm through his to lead him further into the room.  A quick glance at the clock over the mantel told him he was actually on time.  No wonder his mother looked so thrilled.  As he followed Moira further into the room, Oliver spotted Malcolm Merlyn, a friend of the family for years and whose son, Tommy, was Oliver’s oldest friend.  He and Tommy still hit the club circuit a few times a week although since Tommy left town, Oliver was now somewhat of a hermit.  Oliver grabbed a drink from a passing tray and was taking a sip when he caught sight of something from the corner of his eye.  Turning his head, he caught a glimpse of his sister Thea, a shit-eating grin on her face, as she slid right out the front door.  Oliver returned the smile but then noticed that Moira also witnessed Thea’s escape.   Moira smiled tightly and then motioned to one of the servers standing with a tray of drinks.  She whispered to him and he nodded, setting the tray on the bar before leaving the room.

“Removing Thea’s place setting?” Oliver drawled, amused that his younger sister was able to escape so easily.  He wondered if she would let him in on her secret since he seemed to be losing his touch.

“Your sister is….” Moira paused as she tried to find the right word to describe the incredible pain in the ass Thea had become when Robert Queen and Oliver “died.”

“Incorrigible?” Oliver supplied and Moira laughed her face softening as she looked toward the front door.

“I fear I’m losing her,” Moira unexpectedly confessed, her voice low.  “She’s refused to go to college, take any local classes, or even pretend to have some semblance of a job.  She spends too many evening in bars and clubs downtown or, worse yet, in the Glades.  I don’t want her to waste her life, Oliver.”

Oliver looked down at his mother in surprise.  His mother confiding her struggle with Thea was unusual.

“Stop giving her such a long leash then,” Oliver advised and Moira laughed, patting his arm as mother’s do.

“She’s twenty years old, Oliver, an adult.  I have absolutely no say in anything she does.”

“Mom….you control every penny she spends.  You have all the say in the world.  Tighten the leash.  Demand something in return for her shopping sprees,” Oliver suggested, not mentioning the drinking binges or the small favors Moira asked for when Thea was caught drinking underage.

Moira looked at Oliver in surprise and then narrowed her eyes as she contemplated his words.

“That is actually a very good idea.  Probably something I should have done with you years ago.  Perhaps you never….” Moira’s voice trailed off, leaving her thought unfinished.

“I think I learned my lesson the way I needed to learn it,” Oliver said quietly.  Moira nodded, feeling the familiar grief in her heart for her lost husband and the son who returned home the same yet different.  To this day, she had no idea what he went through on that island.   He never spoke of it.  Not to her, to the many therapists she brought in, not even to Tommy. 

Moira squeezed his arm tightly.  “I give thanks every day that you were returned to me, Oliver.  I—” she began but was precluded from saying anything more when one of the guests approached them.  Moira immediately smiled.

“Ah, Jin, good evening.  I don’t believe you know my son, Oliver.  Oliver, Jin Cheung, from Hong Kong.  QC does a great deal of business with Mr. Cheung’s company overseas.”

“Oliver,” Mr. Cheung said, eying him intently. “I’ve heard such wonderful things about you.”

Oliver raised a brow and Moira laughed.  “Now, Oliver. Don’t make a liar of me.”

“Mr. Cheung, a pleasure,” Oliver greeted.  There was a sharpness in Mr. Cheung’s eyes as he appeared to take Oliver’s measure.   Uncomfortable with the intense scrutiny, Oliver began making small talk, something he was trained to do since childhood.  It appeared to be all the Mr. Cheung needed to launch into a discussion of the pharmaceutical trade.  As he listened to Mr. Cheung, Oliver made another mental note to learn when QC began dealing in pharmaceuticals.  His mother smiled and left them to their conversation as she began mingling with their guests.  She stopped for a moment to exchange a few words with a couple that looked vaguely familiar to him.  _The_ _Prescotts_ , _trucking company or some type of transportation company_ , he thought as he nodded to whatever it was Mr. Cheung was telling him.  As his gaze drifted around the room, he caught sight of a woman that was a complete stranger to him.  She stood with another family he knew from the time he was a boy, the Kingstons.  They had a daughter that was just a few years older than Thea, he recalled.  But this woman wasn’t their daughter.  She appeared to be a few years older than Oliver.  The woman met his gaze and lifted her glass of champagne in a small salute.  She was exotically beautiful with legs for miles, yet she made something in Oliver stir in warning. 

“I see you’ve noticed Isabel Rochev,” Mr. Cheung remarked when he noticed where Oliver’s attention was focused.

“Isabel Rochev? The name is vaguely familiar,” Oliver responded as he nodded politely to her.  A memory from long ago tugged at him but he couldn’t quite recall where he heard the name.  Warning bells started to go off in his head as she continued to smile at him from across the room.

“It should be. She was intimately familiar with your father,” Mr. Cheung replied, watching Oliver carefully.  Of course.  The memory flooded back to him.  A few weeks before he and his father left on their ill-fated boat trip there was an argument between his parents.  His mother was yelling at his father about “that woman”, Isabel Rochev, and his father’s frequent trips to Russia.

Oliver found it interesting that someone he just met would so quick to air a father’s dirty laundry to his son.  It was an unforgivable breach in etiquette, purposefully done as if to gauge Oliver’s reaction.  Oliver gave Mr. Cheung a cool smile, letting his boredom of the conversation show.

“Imagine that,” was all he said as he took another sip of his drink.  Mr. Cheung gave Oliver a look of approval.  Apparently, he passed some test of Mr. Cheung’s. 

“Yes.  She worked for the QC subsidiary in Russia, but now she’s relocated to Starling City.  She will be working in acquisitions at Queen Consolidated,” Mr. Cheung continued.  Oliver turned back to study Isabel wondering what the hell his mother was thinking bringing this woman to Starling City much less inviting her to their home.  He noticed that his mother maintained a careful distance from Isabel as she made her way around the room.  Oliver’s boring evening suddenly became a bit more interesting.  There was something going on beneath the civility of this dinner party that he was not privy to.  Curious, he decided to speak with the one person who may just tell him what the hell was going on.

“It’s been a pleasure, Mr. Cheung. If you’ll excuse me, I should go say hello to Malcolm.”

Without waiting for reply, Oliver made his way over to Malcolm, who greeted him with a strong clasp on the shoulder.

“Oliver.  How are you, son?”

“Well, thank you.  It’s good to see you.  Sorry I haven’t been by the house since Tommy left for Europe.  I’ve been meaning to stop by, but you know….” Oliver gave a self-deprecating shrug that had Malcolm laughing. 

“That’s kind of you, Oliver. I expect you have far more entertaining ways to spend your evenings then keeping your best friend’s old man company.”

Oliver smiled in response and was about to ask about Tommy’s return when he noticed that Isabel was slowly making her way towards them.  She stopped every now and then to murmur a greeting, but she was quickly approaching.  Malcolm also noticed and his smile grew harder, less friendly.

“Steer clear of this one, Oliver,” he said beneath his breath. “She’s trouble.  If she wasn’t necessary to QC’s future in acquisitions, I’m sure Moira would have kept her busy with QC’s subsidiaries in Russia, or, for that matter, created interests something in Siberia just to send Isabel off.”

Just the opening he was looking for, Oliver turned to ask Malcolm about Isabel’s new position when dinner was announced, interrupting him as well as Isabel’s approach.  She stopped and looked at him expectantly.   Isabel was the closest woman to him and etiquette dictated he should escort her in to dinner. _Not a fucking chance in hell,_ Oliver thought.  Instead, he deliberately sought his mother out and offered her his arm.  He did not doubt that every person in that room knew that Isabel had slept with his father.  Moira smiled and slid her arm through his, linking family together.

As they led their guests into the dining room, she whispered, “You’re a good son, Oliver.”   Oliver smiled, knowing she understood what he had done.  His mother was nobody’s fool.

Polite conversation continued through dinner and Oliver was ready to rip his hair out, his initial interest waning.  Family successes, avoidance of family failures, the latest production at the Starling City Theater, or the newest charity craze to hit the city.  Oliver wondered if anyone would notice if he jabbed his butter knife into his thigh.  He ran his thumb over the edge, bored out of his mind, when the conversation shifted to the Glades and a charity event to raise funds for the local schools scheduled to be held next month.   He shifted in his chair and received a warning look from his mother.  He took a long drink of his wine, taking a surreptitious look at his watch.  Nearly eight.

“But why hold a charity event _in_ the Glades?” asked Conrad Prescott, frowning as he slid his fork through his sole meuniere.  “Don’t we run the risk of the Green Arrow swooping in to play Robin Hood?”

Oliver nearly snorted aloud.  Please, he was not Robin Hood.  And he didn’t steal from the rich to give to the poor.  He was an equal opportunity vigilante; rid the city of criminals regardless of their economic background.

“I’m not sure how the city came to that decision,” Moira replied, ignoring Conrad’s reference to the Green Arrow.  “It’s a terrible idea.  The Glades is no place for a charity event.”

“Why?  If the event is for schools in the Glades, doesn’t that make it the perfect location?” Oliver asked and silence fell around the table at his words.  Moira cleared her throat and then took a small sip of her wine before answering Oliver’s question.

“With crime in the Glades on the rise, ensuring the safety of guests and funds donated on site would require more security than the Starling City police can provide.  The cost of hiring security would undermine the charity event. Not to mention finding a suitable venue for such an event.  No, I’ll speak to the event organizers.  The atrium at Queen Consolidated would be the perfect location.”

“Most definitely a more appropriate venue,” agreed Louise Prescott, smiling approvingly at Moira.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but the point of the event is to raise funds for the Glades.  Aren’t we saying the Glades is worthy of our attention, our efforts?  Wouldn’t bringing people to the Glades actually benefit the neighborhood?  Let donors see exactly what it is they are saving, where there money is going.  Make their donation a tangible thing and not just an idea.  There are actually quite a few establishments that would give any in downtown Starling City a run for their money.”

Again, Oliver’s words brought the table to silence.  He noticed more than one guest exchanging significant glances with each other.  As one, the guests turned to Moira for a response and once again, he felt like he was the only person at this dinner that didn’t know what was _really_ going on.  She set her glass down and leaned forward but before she could say something, Malcolm spoke up.

“Considering the type of establishments you and Tommy frequent, Oliver, you’re probably absolutely correct,” he said giving Oliver a paternal smile.  The rest of the table laughed, dispelling the tension in the air.  Oliver forced himself to grin and raised his glass in acknowledgment.  Moira smiled as she shot another hard look at Oliver.  _That’s enough, Oliver._   Oliver nodded his head in acknowledgment, prepared to let the subject drop.

“The Glades are dying,” remarked Blair Kingston unexpectedly, his gaze fixed firmly on his plate. “It’s better to let it die and then rebuild it with the type of citizens it needs to flourish. The charity event should be refocused on a worthier cause.”

“A worthier cause than education?  And what type of citizens are needed to rebuild the Glades, Mr. Kingston?” Oliver asked before he could stop himself.  _Politics,_ Oliver suddenly thought, _the Kingstons are connected at all levels of government in the city._ He didn’t know why that was important, only that it was.  Moira gave Oliver a pleading look but he ignored her, focusing his gaze on Blair.  Only, it was Mrs. Kingston who responded.

“The people of the Glades are evil. There is no saving them.  They prey on the innocent, the weak.  Destroy their lives and leave others to pick up the pieces.  No, there is nothing worth saving in the Glades.”

The harsh words fell into the quiet, a world of grief in her tone.  Oliver met her gaze, seeing anger and despair before her mask slipped back into place.  Before he could say anything, Moira cleared her throat and lay her fork and knife down.  Dinner was over.

“Well,” Moira said, as she rose from the table, ignoring that several of her guests were still eating. “How about dessert and after-dinner drinks in the library?” 

A murmur of ascent came from the guests and conversation slowly re-started as they stood.  The Kingstons clasped hands briefly, a small show of strength before they began following the others from the dining room.  Oliver slowly rose along with everyone else.  He saw Malcolm and Moira exchange a glance. She nodded and turned to Oliver.

“Oliver, dear, we have some business to discuss this evening, however, I don’t want to hold up your evening plans any longer,” Moira turned to their guests who paused when they noticed Moira had not followed them.    “Young people and their club hours,” she explained before turning back to Oliver with an indulgent smile.  “Thank you for joining us.  I’ll see you at breakfast?”

Oliver paused, lifting a brow in question, but his mother said nothing more.  Looking around, he saw that his departure was expected so he nodded in agreement.

“Of course,” he replied smoothly as he made his way to his mother’s side.  He kissed Moira’s cheek and after bidding the other guests farewell, he retreated from the dining room.  Oliver shook his head at the oddity of the dinner; however, he was grateful for the escape.  He left the mansion and headed directly to the lair, anxious to learn what Diggle unearthed on one Felicity Smoak and the people that took her and Lyla. 

* * *

 “What do we know?” Oliver asked, pushing the dinner party, the discussion about the Glades, and his mother further to the back of his mind.  He tugged his tie loose, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt as he tossed his suit jacket over a nearby chair.  Rolling up his sleeves, he looked around the large space of the lair, noting for the hundredth time that it was rapidly becoming a man-cave with no sense of organization for their supplies.  He leaned against the table closest to where Diggle sat by their computer system.

“Originally from Vegas, Felicity Megan Smoak, age 25, graduated from M.I.T. in 2009 with a Master’s in Cyber Security and Computer Sciences.  After graduation, she moved around a bit, accepting contract work with Wayne Enterprises for six months and then Palmer Technologies for another six months.  More recently, she spent a significant amount of time with the National Security Agency but then declined a permanent position with the NSA after being offered a job with QC. A position far beneath her skill level,” Diggle leaned back in his chair and turned to face Oliver.

“I reached back a little further and discovered that her father abandoned her and her mother when she was five.  Her mother, a cocktail waitress, passed away a few months before Miss Smoak left the NSA.  A car accident of some sort,” Diggle paused a minute before continuing, “She has no other family.”

“So there actually was no one looking for her,” Oliver mused.  He rubbed the back of his neck.  It wasn’t much and most of it was from the employee file he copied from QC.  He wondered why she accepted a position as an IT representative at QC over the NSA.  Something he would have to make a point of asking her.  Revealing he researched her background didn’t bother Oliver.  In fact, if he were to guess, he thought she probably would understand more than anyone else.

“Anything else?” he asked and Diggle shook his head.  Oliver closed his eyes for a moment in frustration.

“She seems to have led a relatively quiet life until just over two months ago when she was kidnapped.  At the time she was taken, she had only been in the city a few weeks.  As you so quickly discovered during your midnight visit that I specifically told you was a bad idea,” Diggle slipped in smoothly before continuing.  “To be exact, she was here for three week before she was taken.” Diggle turned back to the computers and brought up a series of images.  They were of the wall from the room Felicity was kept in.

 _I am Felicity Smoak_.

She had written her name over and over on the wall in the tiny room, the words uneven and often difficult to read.  There was pain and terror sunk into those crooked letters along with strength and determination to survive.  The dried blood over many of the letters spoke of her grit in the face of brutal torture.

“How many?” Oliver asked quietly, his gaze glued to the haunting image of rough lines cut into stone.

“54,” Diggle said softly.  “Not counting the one she was working on when we came in.”

Both men were quiet as they considered how this woman with no training survived two months of torture.

“Oliver,” Diggle began hesitantly. “How do we know that she isn’t an agent of some other organization?”

“She’s not,” Oliver replied immediately.

“How do we know?” Diggle pressed, “Lyla is a trained agent that experienced two rounds of torture with their little electrical toy.  She said it was like someone was cutting her from the inside out in different places all over her body.”

“How is she?” Oliver asked and Diggle just shrugged.

“It’s Lyla,” was all he said and Oliver understood everything Diggle wasn’t saying.  Being captured or, God forbid, killed, was an everyday reality for them.  They trained to avoid it, to be better than their foe, yet the risk always remained.  None of that mattered, though, when it came to Diggle and Lyla.  They were his family and the idea of either them being hurt was unfathomable.  When Lyla was taken, Diggle went off the rails in a way that Oliver had never seen and he found himself taking on Diggle’s normal role of the rational person in their search.  Diggle would never ask Lyla to give up her job, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t go caveman on her and become an overprotective bear for the next several months, if not longer. 

“I’ll ask you again, Oliver, because you seem to have suddenly developed a blindspot with this girl.  How do we know she’s not an agent working against us?” Diggle was saying, the concern evident in his voice.

“We don’t,” Oliver admitted.  “Not for sure anyway.  All I have is my gut, Diggle, and it says she’s innocent in all of this.”

“Maybe.  I’m just saying, we know nothing about her except for what I was able to dig up which isn’t saying much.  Her stint with the NSA may be more than what we see on paper.  We don’t really know.  What we do know is that she survived weeks of torture without losing herself to madness.  Either she’s a diamond in the rough, or she’s had training.”

Oliver sighed and wandered over to where his arrows were racked and stacked, all sharpened to lethal points.  He picked one up, studied the point intently as he spun it back and forth between his thumb and forefinger.  His mind was no longer in the lair but back at the hospital.  He recalled the way Felicity huddled in her hospital bed, hands twisting the bedsheets.  Frightened, yet determined to be brave.  Those small moments of humor, the way she flushed when she babbled about what to call him, and her amusement at how offended he was that she didn’t know who he was.  Oliver couldn’t help the small smile that curved his lips as he thought of Felicity.

“A diamond in the rough,” Oliver murmured softly.  “There are moments when she sparkles, just lights up, before the memory of her kidnapping comes creeping back in.  It’s like watching storm clouds roll in, preventing the sun from shining.”

Diggle stared at Oliver in surprise.  This was entirely unexpected.  Diggle knew Oliver better than anyone, including Oliver’s own family.  Diggle’s time in the Army, his tours in Afghanistan, gave him an edge over everyone else when he was first hired as Oliver’s bodyguard.  Diggle saw through Oliver’s bullshit, and while he didn’t question Oliver, he knew there was far more to Oliver than what people saw.  A person does not experience five years in hell and come back unchanged.  Even so, Diggle had no idea that the “Hood,” as the Green Arrow was called back then, was one Oliver Queen until Oliver saved his life after he was shot with a poisoned bullet.  It took some convincing, but Diggle eventually accepted Oliver’s offer to join him in his crusade to save Starling City.  It wasn’t so much the saving of the city that Diggle signed up for but rather the saving of Oliver’s soul.  In those days, Oliver was headed down a dark path from which it was clear he would not return.  Slowly, painstakingly, Diggle turned Oliver back, but it remained a daily struggle. 

Diggle witnessed many sides to Oliver; he was capable of compassion and love yet was simultaneously brutally lethal.  He could be unexpectedly funny especially when dealing with some of the city’s less respectable citizens.  More importantly, Oliver was loyal.  Sometimes stubbornly so, especially when it came to his family and the friends he grew up with.  This, though, was something entirely different.  This softer side was something Diggle had never seen before.  At this very moment, Diggle knew the man he’d come to think of as a brother wasn’t in the lair.  No, Oliver was back in that hospital room, talking to a girl who somehow reached a part of him that no one else could.  Diggle sensed something shifting in Oliver and if this girl was the reason, then Diggle was ready to embrace her with open arms but only after Diggle was satisfied that Felicity Smoak was exactly who they thought she was; an innocent somehow mixed up in a war. 

“I trust your gut Oliver, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to keep digging.  If you have a problem with that, let’s talk about it now.”

Oliver blinked, Diggle’s words bringing him back to the lair.  He knew Diggle was right. He may not like that Diggle was right, but he was also not so foolish as to argue the point.  He merely nodded, turning his mind back to the issue at hand.

“So, who ran that facility? Who are those people?” he asked.

“And there’s our second mystery,” Diggle replied, bringing up satellite photographs of the building where Felicity and Lyla were kept.  The building was gone, only a burned out shell remaining. 

“What the fuck, Diggle?  Didn’t A.R.G.U.S. send in a clean-up team?”

Diggle brought up two more satellite photos and pointed to the time stamps on the bottom right hand corners.  In the first, Oliver saw men and women were removing items from the building.  In the second, taken five minutes later, Oliver recognized A.R.G.U.S. vehicles in front of the building, people standing outside their vehicles looking at the building as it burned.

“Whoever these people are, they are fast and well-prepared for any circumstance.  They were gone in less than five minutes after we took off.  A.R.G.U.S. arrived six minutes after our departure.”

“Very efficient,” Oliver said, clearly frustrated that they remained in the dark about the people that took Felicity and Lyla.  “So, we have nothing, absolutely nothing about who these people are or what they want.”

Diggle hesitated and then said, “Well, that’s not entirely true.”

Oliver looked at Diggle expectantly but Diggle simply stared back.  Oliver frowned, puzzled for a minute and then understanding dawned.  He immediately started shaking his head.

“No.  Not a chance in hell,”

“Oliver, she’s the only clue we have.  Lyla doesn’t know anything but she was only there for a week and they only asked what agency she was with.  I get the feeling they asked Felicity a hell of a lot more than that.”

“You haven’t seen her, Diggle.  I asked one question in response to something she said, and she nearly went catatonic on me.  My sources at the police department said she’s not cooperating with them either.  The trauma is just too much.  She’s not ready.”

Diggle leaned back in his chair, contemplating Oliver for a moment before leaning forward and resting his forearms on his knees.

“She’s not talking to anyone about anything, Oliver. Except you.  And while it may not be about her kidnapping, she _is_ talking to you.  We need to use that, get her to share anything she knows about the people who took her.”

“You’re asking me to pump a victim for information.”

“You’ve done it before.”

“This is different.”

“No, Oliver. It’s exactly the same.”

Oliver turned away, shoving his hands in his pocket.  He stared at his green leather suit, folded over a chair, the hood laid across it.  His boots were still scuffed from his rappel down the side of the hospital two nights ago.  The idea of pumping Felicity for information when it was clear she wasn’t ready to talk about what happened had his stomach churning.  Despite the air of bravado around her, he knew she was terrified.  Every time he looked into her wounded eyes, it was like looking in a mirror.   She was damaged and he couldn’t take advantage of her fragile state.  Yet,

Diggle was right.  Felicity was their only clue about who those people were and why they took her.  She was the only clue as to what Lyla may have inadvertently discovered that caused them to snatch her as well.  It wouldn’t be long before the police started pushing and he didn’t trust them to be patient about it.

“Fine,” Oliver finally said without looking at Diggle. “But I do this my way and it will take as long as it takes.  I will not re-victimize her, Diggle.  I will not force her to relive something before she is ready simply because we want the information in her head.  I know I’ve done it before, but not this time. Not with her.”

“As long as you stay objective about how hard you think you can push, no arguments here.  In the meantime, I’ll keep looking into her background and see if there’s anything A.R.G.U.S. or I missed.”

Oliver nodded, still unhappy with the direction they were taking.

“I need to get home,” Diggle said.  He turned back to the monitors and powered them down.  Pulling on his coat, he quickly checked his cell to see if he missed any texts from Lyla.  He hadn’t but there was one text from a source at the Starling City Gazette. He swore softly.

“What is it?” Oliver asked.

 "The press received a tip that Felicity is being released tomorrow.  It’s going to be mayhem.”

 “Someone at the hospital leaked her departure date?  Dammit! I'll take care of it,” Oliver swore, hands clenching into fists. 

 “What are you going to do, Oliver? Swing in as the Green Arrow and just snatch her up from the middle of about fifty reporters? In broad daylight?  With cameras recording your every move, trying to see under the hood?   Come on, man, get it together,” Diggle shook his head in amusement as he zipped up his coat.

“There has to be something I can do.  Those vultures will eat her alive,” Oliver protested, trying to control the flush creeping up his neck from spreading.  By the smirk on Diggle’s face, he knew he was failing.

“She’s a QC employee.  Of course there’s something you can do.  Or rather, I can do.”

Diggle gave him a small salute and left Oliver standing in the lair, frustrated that as usual Diggle was right.  He couldn't just waltz up to Felicity in public as Oliver Queen.  He needed to fix that, and soon.

* * *

Felicity stood far enough back in the lobby to stare at the reporters outside without being noticed.  Hospital security kept them from entering, but as soon as she stepped through those doors, it was a free for all.  She wiped her palms on the black leggings she wore with a pair of knee high leather boots.  She fussed with her grey wool coat, adjusting the belt and then tugged on the beanie she wore, making sure her dark roots weren’t showing.  _I really, really, REALLY, need to make a salon appointment_ , she thought as she eyed the crowd waiting for her to exit.

“Vultures. They’re a pack of vultures,” Felicity muttered, hitching the backpack with her meager belongings higher on her shoulder.  She fingered the multicolored scarf around her neck, the vibrant shades of purple emphasizing the blueness of her eyes. _As well as the dark shadow beneath them_ , she thought, tangling her fingers in the softness of the scarf.  She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.   

“Ma’am?”

Turning, Felicity saw one of the patient representatives from the hospital approaching her.

“Your cab is here,” the woman said, pointing to right side of the hospital’s drive.  Felicity sighed.  She were going to have to walk through the entire crowd of reporters and something told her that the cabbie leaning against his car was only going to watch.  That left hospital security and Felicity doubted the two men out front would be any match for a throng of hungry reporters. She cursed her sudden stubbornness from this morning when she refused assistance on getting to her hotel.  At the time, all she could think about was getting away from the noise of people.  She wanted to walk out of the hospital like anyone else who was being sent home.  She just wanted normal.  This was anything but normal.

The woman eyed Felicity and then the crowd of reporters.  “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Felicity gave a strangled laugh at the question.  Not a day went by where she wasn’t asked if she was “okay.”  Sometimes she was asked several times a day.  She always smiled and nodded when in reality she just wanted to scream at everyone who asked that she didn’t know if she would ever be okay again and what exactly did they think happened to her while she was gone to even wonder if she was okay.

“How did they even find out I was leaving?” asked Felicity, ignoring the question completely.  She suspected her discharge time from the hospital made someone a pretty penny.

The woman flushed and confirmed Felicity’s suspicions.  “Someone from the hospital must have sold the information as a tip,” she said apologetically. 

Felicity smiled weakly and turned back to the entrance.  _Just go_ , she told herself, _just march right on out and go straight to the cab._   Squaring her shoulders, Felicity lifted her chin and strode towards the door, determined to bulldoze her way through the crowd.  _I will do this,_ she thought fiercely.  Felicity knew exactly when the reporters caught sight of her because the noise outside increased in volume.  She pushed open the doors and was able to make it several steps before she was surrounded.  She kept walking forward, her steps slowing as the reporters closed around her in a tight circle.  She tried to push her way through, but the cameras and microphones made it difficult as the reporters pushed towards her; jostling each other for prime positions closest to her.  A flutter of panic started low in her stomach, and she turned back to the hospital, thinking to return for help.  Microphones on booms loomed over her head and cameras whirred as her photo was taken over and over.  Felicity turned towards the direction of the cab, but the sea of people in front of her prevented her from even catching a glimpse of the vehicle.  There was shouting and shoving, and Felicity froze as panic took greater hold.  Questions came at her fast and furious, microphones thrust in her face hoping to catch any answer she may give.

“Miss Smoak, how are—”

“Miss Smoak, who took—”

“What did they want with—”

The cacophony of voices swirled in Felicity’s mind, their words slurring as if they spoke in slow motion.  She felt her control slipping, and she wanted nothing more than to surrender to the panic bubbling just under the calm she was trying so hard to project.  _I will not break down on national television_ , she told herself fiercely.  The idea of losing control where millions could see her, including _them_ , had her redoubling her efforts to break free of the throng of reporters.

“Excuse me,” she said desperately as she took small steps forward.  The reporters only moved with her, their microphones and cameras still in her face.  “Please let me through.”

“Miss Smoak, do you know why you—”

“Miss Smoak, what did they do while –”

“No comment,” she answered shakily trying to shove her way towards her cab.  The reporters crowded closer and Felicity felt her breathing become shallow.  Someone bumped into her from behind and she whirled around, eyes wide in her panic.  A whimper escaped her and she turned red with mortification.  She put a hand to her head, the faces of reporters starting to spin around her.  She lowered her face, trying to hide from the cameras and the reporters.   She was alone.  No one was going to help her.

“Let me through! Move! Stand aside!” a male voice ordered.  The authority with which he spoke had the reporters falling silent, turning to identify the source.  Felicity lifted her head and right in front of her, a tall, very muscular and gorgeous black man was shoving his way towards her.  He reached her and moved to her side, placing one arm behind her, causing the reporters standing close to her back to move slightly away.  She flinched, waiting for his arm to settle on her shoulders, but he never touched her.  Instead, he leaned close to introduce himself.  He spoke directly in her ear as the reporters began shouting their questions again.

“Miss Smoak, I’m John Diggle.  I work for the Queen family.  They sent me to ensure you safely made it to your hotel,” he explained.  Felicity frowned in confusion.  _Why would the Queen family send someone for me?_

“If you’ll come with me, I’ll get you clear of this pack of vultures and to your hotel.”  His voice was deep and smooth, and it rolled over her like a warm blanket.  Despite her confusion at his presence, Felicity felt a sense of calm envelope her and she slowly nodded her understanding.

“I’m going to lay my arm across your shoulders, okay? It’s to keep you close to me and to keep them away from you.  Okay?”  Mr. Diggle didn’t move, clearly waiting for her permission.  Taking a breath, Felicity nodded again and his arm came gently around her.  Felicity couldn’t help but stiffen in response but when Mr. Diggle looked down at her in question, she simply nodded a third time.  Satisfied, Mr. Diggle turned back to the crowd in front of them.

“Miss Smoak has no comment.  Step aside,” Mr. Diggle ordered in a voice that was clearly accustomed to giving orders.   He pushed his way through the crowd, keeping one arm around her shoulders and the other arm out, pushing people aside like a linebacker.  The reporters parted like the Red Sea as he smoothly made his way to a black SUV parked at the curb.

“My cab–” Felicity began.

“Is being taken care of.  Don’t worry, Miss Smoak, everything is under control.”

Felicity felt a sense of relief take hold and was immediately annoyed by it.  It seemed that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t take control of one single aspect of her life.  It made her feel needy.  And useless.  She hated that; hated her own inability to manage her life, to manage her return to the world, so to speak.  Mr. Diggle opened the door for her, placing his body between hers and the reporters.  Before she could get in, an overeager photographer shoved his camera beneath Mr. Diggle’s arm and began snapping pictures.  She flinched and tried to put a hand up.  In two seconds, the camera was in Mr. Diggle’s hand, the SIM card removed, and the camera handed back.

“You can pick up the SIM card from Queen Consolidated Security,” he calmly informed the sputtering photographer.

“You can’t do that!” he shouted.

“I just did.”

Felicity took the opportunity to duck into the car, never so grateful to hear a door slam behind her.  She jumped when the passenger side door opened on the other side and to her surprise, Mr. Diggle slid in next to her. 

“Go,” was all he said and the driver put the vehicle in gear, pulling away from the curb, completely unconcerned about the number of reporters in his path.  They quickly jumped out of the way, still shouting their questions.  Felicity glanced behind them and noticed a number of reporters jumping into vehicles to follow them.  She pressed her hands to her temples and rubbed, closing her eye.   _Get your crap together_ , she thought.   _You are not some damsel in distress.  You can and will do this._   She took a few deep breaths before opening her eyes.

“Thank you, Mr. Diggle,” she said, raising her head to look at Mr. Diggle.  “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, Miss Smoak,” he replied, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there before you left the hospital.”

His words reminded her of her confusion at his appearance.

“Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Diggle, I’m very glad you showed up when you did.  I just don’t understand  _why_ you came.”

“I work for the Queen family,” he reminded her.  “They wanted to ensure you arrived at your hotel safely.”

“Yes, I understand that, but why? Why would the Queens send someone to escort me?”

“You’ve been through a very traumatic experience.  The last thing you need is the press hounding you as you start putting your life back together.  They, better than most, understand what that is like.  Since you work for them, they thought this was the least they could do.”

“They understand?” Felicity repeated, still frowning and then it clicked.  “Of course.  When Oliver Queen returned from the dead a few years ago.  I didn’t live here then, but I remember the news frenzy at his return.”

Diggle nodded, studying her intently.  She was still frowning and Diggle was certain that she didn't fully buy his explanation.

“You’re Mr. Queen’s bodyguard,” she suddenly said, recalling a few photographs in some old tabloid magazines the nurses had brought her.  They wouldn’t bring her any recent newspapers or magazines.  They thought they were protecting her.  They didn’t realize she had the internet.  Not that they would expect their patient to hack their system to read the latest news.

“Yes,” Diggle confirmed.

“So why aren’t you with him, I don’t know, _guarding_ or something?”

Diggle couldn’t help but smile at the way Felicity said guarding, using her fingers to make air quotes.

“He’s at work,” was all he said.

“Work? Oliver Queen works?” Felicity asked, surprised.  This time, Diggle laughed out loud.

“Yes, Oliver Queen works.  He’s a junior executive at QC.  You worked there, didn’t you know this?”

“I was only there a few weeks before–” Felicity stopped abruptly and fell silent.  She turned to look out her window, her fingers clenching in her lap.

“Before you were kidnapped,” Diggle finished softly.  She nodded without looking at him.  She watched the buildings pass outside her window, not speaking.  It wasn’t until they passed City Hall that she realized they were nowhere near her hotel.

“Wait, my hotel –”

“We’re driving a circuitous route, Miss Smoak.  There are reporters following us.  While it won’t take them long to call every hotel in Starling City to find out where you’re staying, I’m not going to make it any easier on them by showing them the way.  By the time they find this little hotel, you’ll be checked in and settled in your room.”

“Oh. Well, thank you again.  Wait, how did _you_ know where I was staying?”

 _Sharp,_ Diggle thought,  _very sharp._ “You told your boss when you arranged for your return date.”

“Oh. Of course,” she said. “I suppose that is how you found out when I was being discharged from the hospital?”

Diggle smiled, not really answering the question.  Felicity just stared at him, her expression telling him that she knew exactly what he was doing.  _Yes, very sharp indeed,_ Diggle thought.

Felicity returned to staring out her window.  The car rolled smoothly to a stop at a light and she watched people outside rushing to wherever it was they were headed.  A group of girls strolled by, giggling, clutching their shopping bags while texting on their phones.  Their faces were bright and happy without a care in the world.  Felicity watched as they shared whatever it was that was so interesting on their phones until they disappeared into a nearby shop.   It was all _so normal_. She needed normal but wondered if that was even possible.  Just the idea of going shopping had her stomach tied up in knots.  If she went outside, she’d be exposed.  Anyone, including _them_ , would see her.  Even if she went with a friend, she wouldn’t feel safe.  Felicity made a frustrated noise at the direction her thoughts.  _I can’t live like this,_ she thought, _afraid of my own shadow. It’s not who I am.  Or is it? I really don’t know who I am anymore._

“Are you alright, Miss Smoak?”  Diggle asked and she turned to him, startled.  She had forgotten she wasn’t alone.

“I’m sorry. What?”

“Are you alright?” he repeated, frowning a bit.

“Oh. Yes. I’m just….” Felicity paused, not sure what to say or why she was even trying to explain to Mr. Diggle.  She made a vague gesture out her window.

“They were shopping,” she said, feeling a bit foolish.  Diggle nodded in understanding. 

“Sometimes, after experiencing a trauma, all we want is normal.  To feel normal, to go on normally, much like we did before the trauma.  Only, there is no before anymore.  There is only now and what lies in front of us.  Normal changes into something else, adapting to who we’ve become as a result of our experiences.  Those little things from before?  They take on greater significance, become more important.  As a result, we appreciate them more, savor the experience more.”

“I feel foolish,” she confessed.  “For being afraid of doing something as simple as shopping.”

“It’s not foolish.  How you approach everyday things will change now.  Right now, you probably won’t want to go anywhere by yourself regardless if it’s just the coffee shop next door.  And that’s okay.  One day in the future, you’ll go by yourself and you won’t even realize it until you return with your coffee.  You’ll get there, Miss Smoak, you’ll get there.”

Felicity nodded, smiling sadly.  Her life was so very different.  So much more complicated.  She stared listlessly out the window.  A few more minutes went by and Diggle noticed that the driver was headed towards Felicity’s hotel.  He studied her profile as she stared out her window.  Something about her reached out to him and those protective instincts he felt when he saw her curled up in the hospital bed came to life.  Glancing at his watch, he made a decision.

“Miss Smoak?”

“Felicity,” she murmured without turning from the window.

“Felicity?”  Diggle waited until she turned to look at him.

“Would you like to go shopping?”

The smile that lit her face reminded him of Oliver’s words from the night before.  _She really just may be a diamond in the rough,_ he thought.

That smile made their impromptu shopping excursion worth the delay in returning to QC and the one hundred and one questions Oliver was going to have about the delay.  Despite the number of stores they perused, Felicity’s only purchase was an iPad at an Apple store, a look of reverence on her face as she trailed a finger along its bright red edge.  Once given her purchase, she clutched it tightly, refusing to let him carry the bag for her.  Even now, as Diggle walked Felicity to the door of her hotel room, she held it cradled in her arms as if it were a baby.  Entering her room, Diggle automatically did a quick sweep of the room.  Felicity looked at him curiously as he tested the windows and the locks on the balcony door.  Satisfied, he handed her the electronic passkeys to her room meeting her curious gaze.

“Sorry, habit," he explained

"Uh huh," she said, not entirely convinced.

"Don’t give copies of those to anyone, even friends,” he advised pointing to the passkeys, and she nodded solemnly.  She followed him to the door.

“Mr. Diggle?”

“Just Diggle is fine. Or Dig. Even John,” Diggle replied and she smiled.

“How long was it before you found _your_ normal?”

Diggle stared at her in surprise and realized that she knew he spoke from experience.  He wanted to lie to her, tell her that she would be fine in a few weeks, maybe a month but he couldn’t.  Like him, like Oliver, she was a survivor.

“Years,” he answered honestly and he saw the gratitude in her eyes and again he knew that she understood he had wanted to lie.

“Thank you, Diggle,” she said and he nodded.  She closed the door and he listened as she engaged all the locks. 

* * *

He watched the news coverage of her leaving the hospital.  There was an air of defiance about her, but he caught sight of the panic hidden in her eyes.  He frowned when he saw Oliver Queen’s bodyguard appear and rescue her from the throng of reporters.

He picked up his cell phone.  His call was answered on the first ring.

“Yes?”

“John Diggle provided Miss Smoak an escort from the hospital.  Why?”

There was a pause on the other end.

“I’m afraid I don’t have an answer.”

“Get one.”

He disconnected to the call and hit pause on the remote, freezing his screen on a close up of Felicity Smoak.  Despite the fear, there was a willful stubbornness in her expression.  After weeks of the most sophisticated of tortures, she revealed nothing.  He almost believed she was innocent.   Turning his back on her image, he gazed across the city skyline towards the Glades.  A plan began to formulate and his own genius had him smiling.  It was almost too easy.  He looked over his shoulder at her image, imagining the public outrage when her body was discovered in the Glades so soon after her rescue by the Green Arrow.    

“Enjoy your respite, Miss Smoak.  It’s temporary.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Green Arrow visits Felicity at her hotel after trying to stay away. Felicity returns to work and meets Oliver Queen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I confess, this chapter was purely selfish on my part.....

Oliver placed one hand on the rail of the balcony and found a foothold in the ledge. After attaching a nylon rope to the bottom rail for when he left, he grabbed onto the rail with his other hand and prepared to pull himself up. He listened to the quiet for a moment and then slowly lifted himself up to peer over the edge. Her room was situated in the corner, and the balcony was shrouded in darkness. There were no lights coming from her room and he could just make out the bed. It was empty. He frowned. Pulling himself up further, he swung his legs over the rail and landed lightly on the balcony. He walked over to the French doors for a better look inside and saw that they were slightly opened. He stilled, reaching behind him to where his bow was latched to his quiver. He brought it around and then reached for an arrow.

“Hello,” said a soft voice to his left. Oliver whirled in surprise, bow at the ready. Peering into the darkened corner of the balcony, he saw her, wrapped snuggly in a blanket and sitting in one of the balcony chairs, neatly hidden in darkness. Sighing, he returned his arrow to the quiver and re-latched his bow. He hadn’t seen her when he came over the rail. _Sloppy_ , he thought, _really sloppy._

“Hi,” he said, moving to stand across from her, a slight smile crossing his face. Felicity smiled back, tilting her head as if trying to see beneath the hood more clearly. Oliver reached up and tugged it further forward, eliciting a bigger smile from her. He shook his head but said nothing, merely leaned back against the balcony rail, folding his arms in front of him. A cold bead of sweat trickled down his back. Oliver looked at Felicity huddled in her blanket and frowned.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked, “It’s cold. You’ll get sick.”

“I’m fine. I’m warm enough in the blanket. What are you doing here?” Felicity responded, purposefully avoiding his question.

Oliver eyed the thickness of the blanket and while he was tempted to disagree and try to usher back inside, he said nothing. Instead, he let himself enjoy the sight of her. Her blonde hair was loose around her face, brushing the tops of her shoulders. _She cut her hair_ , he thought as the shorter strands stirred in the light breeze.

He thought about her question, about why he was there. It really did boil down to the fact that he _wanted_ to see her. Yes, Felicity had information he and Diggle needed, but it was more than that. If this was any other person, he already would have the information they needed. Instead, three days later, he still hadn’t asked her a single question. Felicity...there was just something about her. She wasn’t just another witness, or just some woman he happened to rescue. God, she was probably the most real person in his life right now and she wasn’t really _in_ his life. He didn’t want to start teasing information from her, to start _interrogating_ her. So, he avoided visiting and kept watch from afar. It was frustrating to not really be able to see her or talk to her. He relied mostly on the information Diggle’s men in the lobby reported back. When he found himself on the rooftop across the street from her room about to use binoculars to actually see her, he gave up. He didn’t want to stoop to binoculars. Not with Felicity. He wanted to see her. To just _talk_ to her and hear her voice, maybe even make her smile. The thought of questioning her hovered in the back of his mind, but it definitely wasn’t why he came tonight. Besides, peering at her through binoculars was just creepy.

“I wanted to check in on you. Make sure you were okay,” he finally replied, opting for a shorter version of the truth.

“You don’t have to do that. I’m fine,” Felicity lied as she tucked a lock of her hair behind one ear. Oliver registered the lie as his eyes followed the movement of her fingers, noting the thinness of her wrists. _So delicate_ , he thought before focusing on the lie she was trying so desperately to believe.

“Are you?” he challenged softly and because he was looking so closely at her, he saw the small shudder that went through her body at his words before she squared her shoulders and gave him a sharp look. He stared back at her steadily, not backing down, instinctively knowing that she needed a small push. She held his stare and then gave him a wry smile. _Your point_ , she seemed to say before looking away.

Felicity hunched her shoulders deeper into her blanket as she stared past him to look out over the city. Oliver remained silent, wondering if she would talk to him. She sighed and turned back to him. Suddenly she frowned and leaned toward the railing from her chair, looking between the metal bars.

“Wait, did you climb up the side of the building?” she asked in astonishment. He nodded, glancing over his shoulder.

“It was easy,” he shrugged, “lots of foot and handholds in a building this old. No big deal.”

Eyes widening, she leaned further from her chair to look downwards. _Easy?_ She bit her lip, contemplating whether she should ask her next question or if she would sound like a completely paranoid nut job. _Oh what does it matter? He knows I’m completely nuts,_ she thought.

“Do you think—” she broke off, taking a few deep breaths. God, she hated the instant fear that came with his words and the thoughts his words conjured. Swallowing hard, she tried again.

“Do you think _they_ could do the same?”

Oliver closed his eyes, realizing that he inadvertently frightened her by his description of the climb. He opened his eyes and met her gaze. He saw the fear and silently cursed. God, he was such an idiot. He moved to reassure her.

“Absolutely not,” he said with conviction. “It takes skill, stealth, and strength. Climbing this building is easy _for me._ But five or six years ago? I wouldn’t have made it an inch off the ground. So no, _they_ wouldn’t be able to because they do not do what I do.”

Felicity nodded, somewhat reassured but not really convinced. The men in black who took her from her apartment were big. In her mind they were giants with brute force capable of anything. She looked over the balcony again and wondered if any of _them_ did what the man in green did. Felicity mentally shook herself. _Stop it,_ she ordered herself, _they cannot climb this building. Just stop it._ She refocused on the man across from her. He would not lie to her...would he?

Oliver could see that she was not completely convinced and tried to think of other reasons he could give her to alleviate the fear he caused. Before he could continue to assure though, she spoke.

“So part of what you do involves climbing buildings to peer into women’s hotel rooms...huh...” she mused, “You know, that’s kinda creepy.”

Oliver laughed, the sound garbled through the voice distorter.

“When you put it that way, it does sound creepy.”

“It could have been worse. You could have been trying to peer into my room from across the street with a set of binoculars,” Felicity laughed, and then her jaw dropped in shock when she saw him roll his shoulders, as if uncomfortable.

“Wait…you did not!!” she accused, more laughter bubbling up. She gasped as he moved his shoulders again. She also saw his finger and thumb of his left hand were twitching.

“You did!!” Felicity threw her head back and laughed, surprising how good it felt to just laugh.

“What? No, of course not!” Oliver lied, shifting his feet slightly. Felicity caught the movement and laughed even harder.

“You did! You did! You’re lying, I can tell!” Felicity laughed as Oliver again shifted. He immediately stilled, holding his hands up in surrender.

“I’m not lying. I did not use binoculars to check in on you. I _almost_ used binoculars and then realized that it was creepy so came to visit instead.”

His confession had Felicity whooping in laughter. Oliver smiled as he watched her wipe her eyes, his heart light at the sight of her amusement. When her laughter faded the smile on her face remained. Her eyes sparkled with mirth as she gazed at him. He was utterly captivated.

“I don’t think it’s creepy since it’s me you’re looking at,” Felicity said. Although she couldn’t see his face clearly because of the mask, Felicity could almost feel the man in green’s eyebrows shooting upwards. She flushed and quickly dropped her head letting her hair fall forward to hide her face. She rushed to explain.

“I mean because you said you would be close and I expect you to be around...I mean, not expect _expect_ because I don’t.  Expect that is. I mean, I’m nobody...of course I’m somebody, but nobody to you. Just someone you rescued. You really don’t have to keep seeing me. Not that we’re seeing each other, just…you know, checking up on me. Unless you want to. It’s okay if you want to.” Felicity clamped her mouth shut, leaving that mess out in the air to hover between them. She braved a quick glance through the curtain of her hair and saw that he had straightened from where he leaned against the rail, his hands on his hips. He was looking at her very seriously, a hint of anger in his eyes as he looked down at her.

“You are not nobody,” he said, his voice low and stern. “Don’t every say that again.”

Surprised, Felicity nodded automatically. He seemed genuinely angry that she referred to herself as ‘nobody.’ The swift change in mood caught her off-guard and she felt the sudden burn of tears.  She quickly looked away, not wanting him to see her cry. _Dammit,_ she thought, _when will this constant urge to cry at the littlest things go away? I was never one to cry so easily. Except now, I apparently am._ She stared past him searching for something to say, something to push the tears away.

“I heard you went shopping.  Bought a new phone,” Oliver said before he could stop himself. He silently cursed again.  He wasn't supposed to know that. At this rate, he was going to end up outing Diggle. _Shit_ , he thought, _I need to be more careful_.

The urge to cry disappeared as quickly as it formed at his statement. Felicity nodded as she studied him, curiosity about how he knew written all over her face.

“Yes. Mr. Diggle, a security specialist, was kind enough to be my escort. Actually it was his idea. I don’t think I would have gone, but I felt so safe with him.  I also bought a new iPad.”

Oliver felt a tug of envy not unlike the one he felt when Diggle told him about the excursion. Absurdly he wanted to be the one to take her shopping. He wanted to be the one to make her feel safe.

“How did you know?” Felicity asked, wondering if he knew Diggle. Or maybe, Diggle knew this man. How would Diggle know a vigilante though? He seemed the type to have a very black and white definition of right and wrong and the Green Arrow was very much in the grey.

“Word gets around,” he replied. “You’re somewhat of a media darling right now.”

Felicity grimaced at his accurate description. The press was overly fascinated with her story, especially since she refused all requests for an interview.

“It’s going to be a nightmare when I go back to work,” she muttered, imagining the frenzy of the press when she finally left the hotel. It was one of the reasons that she stayed in her room. Except for a trip to the in-house salon, Felicity ventured no further than this balcony. _Come off it,_ she thought, _you don’t leave this hotel because you’re scared._ Felicity thought about having to leave the hotel to go to work, and immediately pushed the thought to the back of her mind.  _I'll just deal with that later,_ she decided. She was getting very good at dealing with "things" later.

“When do you go back?” Oliver asked glad that her attention seemed to have turned from how he knew about her shopping trip.  He made a mental note to have Diggle pick her up for her first day back.

“Day after tomorrow,” she replied absently, playing with a strand of her hair. Felicity stared out over the city, listening to the night. Faint music from the rooftop filtered down. Something bluesy, the plaintive sound of the horn tugging at Felicity’s heart, and she stirred restlessly. _I should try the rooftop bar one night,_ she thought. As soon as she thought about going up to the bar, fear began to creep in. _Anyone_ could get to the rooftop bar. _Anyone_. No it was safer to stay in her room.

Oliver watched the play of emotions on Felicity’s face. Amusement and curiosity were gone. There was a pinched look to her expression, and he glimpsed the fear in her eyes. Whatever she was thinking about, it was related to the people who took her. Right then, Oliver knew what he had to do and he hated himself for it.

“Felicity?”

She loved the way he said her name, drawing out the syllables, giving her name a delicate, lovely sound despite the voice distorter. The fear that was creeping up on her receded and she turned to him.

“I need to ask you about the people who took you,” he said gently, but she was already shaking her head. He watched as she shut down in front of him; eyes going blank, her expression empty. She pulled the blanket tightly around her. She was figuratively slamming doors in his face, shutting down completely.

“No...I can’t. I won’t talk about _them_. I will tell you anything you want to know about me, but I can’t talk about _them_. I can’t,” Felicity said, a note of hysteria in her voice. She pulled the blanket up higher. _Calm down, Felicity Meghan Smoak, and stop being such a ninny,_ she mentally chided herself, _it’s just a question_. But she couldn’t. Talking about _them_ made it real again.

“Felicity,” Oliver began, keeping his voice low. He cursed at the voice distorter, wanting to turn it off so she could really hear him.

Felicity felt a sudden surge of anger towards him. She grabbed at the emotion, clawing at it, grasping it to her until it consumed her and the fear she felt at the idea of talking about _them._ She latched on to the anger firmly, using it to fuel her into some semblance of control. Eyes blazing with her sudden anger, she glared at him.

“You want to know why I’m out here? You want to know why I sit out here, huddled against the cold, hidden in the dark? Because in my head, in my own damaged head, they can’t get me here like they can down there. Because up here, in my room, I’m safe. I can go outside and still be safe. Up. Here.” Felicity struggled to keep her voice low, conscious of people in the rooms around her. She swallowed hard as she stared at him.

“Do you understand? I can’t leave my room and walk to the goddamn Starbuck’s for a decent cup of coffee for fear of _them_. But I can walk out here and still breathe a twisted form of freedom. I’ve made myself a prisoner in this room. The very thought of _them_ terrifies me, yet you want me to tell you about _them_?”

Oliver looked away from her, rage and sorrow waging battle within him. Rage at the people who did this to her and sorrow at the idea that she was afraid of going beyond her hotel, and likely would be for a long while. He wanted to tell her that what she was feeling was natural after what she experienced. That it would never fade but that it would get better. He knew she wouldn’t hear him though.

“You don’t think you’re safe?” he asked softly.

“How can I be? If they wanted, they could take me again any time they want! No one can catch them. Their organization is large, with vast resources. They are terrifyingly good at what they do. What can I do to stop _them_?” Felicity demanded. She stood up, letting the blanket fall to the ground. She was dressed in black leggings and a sweatshirt that fell off one shoulder. She pointed to herself.  Oliver looked at her steadily, not taking his eyes off of her for one second, mentally filing away the information she was inadvertently giving him.

“I’m weak! I have no strength! I can’t even make it two hours in the morning before I need a nap. At the end of the day, despite the number of naps I take, I barely have the strength to stand!” As if to prove her point, she suddenly wobbled on her feet. Oliver immediately stepped forward, and wrapped his hands around her upper arms, steadying her as he brought her closer to him. She tensed and brought her hands up to push him away. He cursed himself again, remembering what Diggle said about her aversion to being touched. He didn’t let go, but he stilled, and he relaxed his hands on her arms, letting her know without speaking that she could pull away and he would let her go. She didn’t move, staying where she was, her breath coming in short gasps. He closed his eyes briefly and when he reopened them, he saw she was looking at him.

“You are strong where it counts the most,” he said firmly, letting one arm go to point to her heart. “Here, in your heart, you are stronger than I could ever hope to be.” He put his hand back around her arm, holding her gently.

“My heart won’t keep me safe,” Felicity said sadly, conscious of the warmth of his hands on her arms. When he first touched her, she thought her reaction was going to be the same as it always was when someone touched her; fear. She was surprised when all she felt was the urge to lean against him, to let him hold her up and be her strength. It was this last thought that made her tense, the idea that she would surrender herself so quickly to someone she didn’t know. Someone she would never recognize without the mask. That she was so willing to let someone else be strong for her when it was _she_ who was supposed to be strong for herself. So she kept still, realizing too late that her hands had acted on their own to rest on his chest. _Oh well,_ she thought ruefully, _can’t win every battle_. She curled her fingers into the leather.

“I will keep you safe,” Oliver vowed and in the sudden quiet, he knew that this was one promise he would keep no matter what. He stared down at her intently, willing her to believe in him. Felicity felt her anger slowly drain away at his words. She didn’t understand.

“Why? Why do you care so much?” she whispered, trying to see behind the mask. Oliver’s eyes moved over her face, taking in the bruises beneath her eyes, the hollowness of her cheeks, the lips that were still cracked from her captivity. Before he knew what he was doing, his palm was cupping her check, the leather of his glove frustrating him. He swept a thumb across her cheek. Her lips parted as she stared at him in surprise.

“Because you matter,” he whispered before releasing her completely. He hadn’t meant to say that. He leaned down to pick up her blanket and wrapped it around her before he stepped back to the rail. Felicity clutched the ends together, blocking out the chill of the night. They stared at each other in silence and Oliver realized he needed to go before he did something incredibly stupid.  _Kissing her,_ he thought, _would be stupid, but it would feel so good._ He needed to get out of here.  In a sudden move, he was over the rail and gone. Gasping, Felicity ran to the edge only to see that he was using some sort of rope line to rappel down. He disappeared into the dark, leaving Felicity with his final words.

Shaking, Felicity made her way back into her room, locking the door behind her as she replayed the last part of their conversation in her mind. As she fell asleep, a small sliver of peace blossomed in her heart and for this moment, she felt safe.  The following morning, she woke early feeling more rested than she had since her rescue. She pulled open the blinds to her balcony and that’s when she saw it; a venti-sized coffee from Starbucks with a small note taped to the lid.

> _A decent cup of coffee from goddamn Starbucks. FYI, I installed motion detectors around your balcony. I can remotely deactivate them. So, if they go off, it’s not me. Run and call this number._

A number was scrawled on the bottom of the note. Folding the note, and picking up the cup, she walked out onto the balcony, the coffee warm between her palms. She looked over the city as the sun came up, took a sip of her coffee and smiled.

* * *

“Why won’t they just go away?” Felicity grumbled to herself as she stepped off the elevator and saw the ever present members of the press waiting outside. Heaving a sigh, she went over to the concierge’s desk to ask for assistance in calling a taxi and if it would be possible to have it brought around back. She was waiting for the concierge to finish with his current customer when a familiar voice called her name. Turning, she saw Mr. Diggle standing by the front desk. Surprised, she walked over to greet him, holding out her hand. Diggle took it in his own, pleased that she initiated contact.

“Mr. Diggle,” she said, smiling up at him. He couldn’t help but smile back at her. She seemed genuinely happy to see him.

“Diggle, or Dig. Even John,” he reminded her, squeezing her hand gently before releasing it.

“Dig,” she corrected, nodding her head. She studied him a minute, and then glanced over at the press waiting out in the street. “I get the feeling that this is not a coincidence. I’m betting you’re here to give me a ride to work.”

Diggle smiled again, nodding. “Your supervisor informed the Queens you would be returning to work today. Mr. Queen thought you might like a ride to continue to avoid the press.”

Felicity sighed torn between annoyance and gratitude towards Mr. Queen. Considering she had yet to meet him, she was quickly becoming indebted to him. And these...these...special privileges, while nice, were not normal. No, they were far from normal. She needed normal; _craved_ normal and getting a ride to work with a bodyguard and a black SUV the size of a tank was definitely not normal. Felicity looked again at the press waiting for her to leave the hotel.

“Thank you, Dig. A ride _today_ ,” she stressed, “would be lovely but only for today. Please tell Mr. Queen I am fine. The press interest in me will die down soon. In the meantime, I need to live as normally as possible and being chauffeured to work by my employer is not normal.”

Diggle took the dark grey wool coat that Felicity had draped over her arm and held it open for her. Slipping it on, Felicity belted it around her waist and then pulled a knit hat out of one of the pockets. Pulling it on, she adjusted the front over her brow. Diggle smiled at the floppy rose on the side of the hat; the pop of fuchsia relieved the severity of her coat and hat matched her lipstick perfectly. _Felicity Smoak has flair_ , he thought before addressing her sense of normal.

“All of this?” he gestured around the hotel, encompassing the press outside and himself as well. “It’s your normal _right now_ , Felicity. Time will certainly change this...you’ll find a place to live, the press will disappear, but right now, this is normal. Don’t fight it, don’t try to control it. Just move with it. Move through it. It will get better.”

Felicity fingered the edges of the belt on her coat as she looked up into Diggle’s kind eyes.

“I know. Yet, I can’t help to want to control what is my new normal. I keep thinking if I just do things the same way I did before..well, you know, _before_ , maybe I can make normal return faster. I don’t want to wait years, Diggle.” The last was said in a near whisper and Diggle recalled their last conversation.

“It’s different for everyone, Felicity. Just because it took me longer, that doesn’t mean it will be the same for you. Besides, I’m stubborn and unbending. At least that’s what my wife says.  It can’t be rushed, Felicity. One day at a time. But you know what? There will be something in every day that will be normal. Whether it’s a cup of good coffee from your favorite café, or the perfect bacon cheeseburger from Big Belly Burger, you will have “normal” at least once during your day.”

Felicity thought about his words and then gave him a small smile.

"Can you be part of my new normal?”

Diggle laughed. “It would be, Miss Smoak, undoubtedly my pleasure. Shall we get you to work then?”

Felicity’s smile widened and she nodded. She took the arm Diggle offered, not questioning when he led her away from the front entrance. Apparently, for now, her new normal involved using different exits. A thought suddenly occurred to her.

“Diggle, may I ask you something about Mr. Queen?”

Diggle looked at Felicity in surprise. “You may, but I can’t guarantee an answer. Part of my job is to protect my client’s privacy.”

“Fair enough,” Felicity agreed. “I was just wondering...you were hired after Mr. Queen came back from...well...you know...the dead, right?” Felicity waited for Diggle’s nod before continuing.

“Are you part of his new normal?”

Diggle looked down at Felicity thoughtfully. “Yes, Felicity, yes, I am.”

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

* * *

It was well past noon when Felicity finally found herself alone. She stood at her desk, staring at the sterile emptiness of the cubicle. U-shaped in design, the entire cubicle was utilitarian and just plain depressing. A cardboard carton sat on the surface to her right, adjacent to the monitor of her computer. Another carton was on her chair. A second computer was positioned on the surface directly in front of her, but from the wires and cords draped across the keyboard and monitor, it was not connected to the network much less a power source. _This is depressing,_ she thought, _and just perfect for someone bordering on severe depression._ With a decided lack of interest, Felicity lifted the lid of one carton and peeked inside. She could not help the small smile that crossed her face.

Nestled in the box were her personal belongings; the photos she once tacked on the wall of her cubicle were neatly placed in a folder to avoid creasing. There were photos she took around Starling City when she first arrived, a few from college, and one of the puppy she was thinking of adopting before she was taken. She wondered if the puppy was still at the shelter. She made a mental note to check and to lease an apartment that accepted pets. She reached into the box and removed her coffee cup, a grin breaking across her face. It was an obnoxious bright purple with a quote on one side that read, “ON THE THIRD DAY GOD CREATED THE “UNDO BUTTON” IN ALL ITS GLORY.” She loved this cup. She set it on the surface to her left, noting that there were shelves beneath that surface for more storage. She looked again at the computers and decided to get to work.  

An hour later, Felicity stood back, pleased with her set up. Both computers were now in working condition and were placed at the far end of her cubicle. From there, she would be able to see whoever walked into the IT department without startling her. It was a conscious move on part in the hopes of avoiding a complete meltdown in front of her colleagues. As it were, the location of her cubicle left her back exposed; something she would have to get used to, unless she put up a rear view mirror. _Don’t be ridiculous_ , she thought. Her photographs were once again tacked up, except for the one of the dog. That was in her purse.

She turned to the other carton she had yet to look in and tried to move it to the other side of her cubicle. It was too heavy. Frowning, she took off the lid and peered inside. There was a jumble of equipment inside the box, all meticulously labeled in her handwriting. It appeared to be projects that she was working on at the time of her disappearance.

“Well, nice to know no one thought to work on these in my absence,” she muttered, shaking her head as she put the lid back on the carton. She’d sort through these after she settled in. She moved the carton to the edge and tried to lift it again. It was just too heavy. She cursed, knowing that it was her own continued weakness from her kidnapping preventing her from moving the box on her own. She looked around and realized that at some point, the three other people she shared the space with had left. Looking up at the white board, she saw that they were out on field calls. She attempted to lift it again to no avail.

“Uggghhhh!” she exclaimed, stamping her foot.

“Need help?”

Felicity gasped and whirled around, one hand to her heart. Standing just to the side of her cubicle was an incredibly gorgeous man looking at her with mild amusement in his eyes. Eyes so blue she was reminded of the ocean; they were exactly the type of eyes she would normally find herself drowning in. Except right now, she was annoyed and not a little bit scared. She hadn’t heard him come in and that bothered her. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but she was too irritated to try and figure out what.

“Jesus! You scared the crap out of me!”

He held his hands up in surrender, taking a single step back.

“I’m sorry, not my intention. I thought you heard me coming in, but then, you were pretty, um, preoccupied with that carton.”

His voice was low and soothing but that didn’t stop Felicity from glaring at him as her heart beat slowed back to normal. She took a deep breath, and then another. It was on that second breath when she realized who it was standing before her. Lord, it was Oliver Queen. She closed her eyes in mortification. _Please tell me I did not stomp my foot_ , she thought desperately. The stinging in the sole of her foot told her otherwise. The impossibly handsome Oliver Queen looked to where she normally would have a nameplate but found it empty. He looked back at her and held out his hand.

“Felicity Smoak? Hi, I’m Oliver Queen.”

Felicity looked at his hand, knowing she was supposed to take it. _This is technically one of your employers, Felicity Smoak, take his hand_ , she ordered herself. She slowly brought her hand up and after another slight hesitation; she placed her hand in his. Felicity stared down at their joined hands; the contrast of his large, masculine hand warm wrapped around her smaller one. _My hand looks so tiny in his_ , she thought randomly, _and oh my God, I’m staring at our joined hands like I’m contemplating a trip down the aisle_. At that thought, Felicity abruptly pulled away, clasping her hands behind her back.

“Um, did you need something Mr. Queen?” she asked, shifting from one foot to the other.

Oliver realized his hand was still up and quickly lowered it. This meeting was not at all going the way he envisioned. First, he startled her and he knew better. Second, she seemed very nervous in front of him. He wasn’t sure what he expected when he spontaneously decided to come down and meet her as himself but it wasn’t this. He looked around, trying to find a way to put her at ease. His gaze fell on the box she had been trying to move when he walked in. He pointed at it.

“Can I help you with that?”

Felicity turned to the box and felt a blush burn across her cheeks. _I stomped my foot like a five year old,_ she internally moaned again.

“Oh no, that’s okay. I’ll move it later. I’ll empty it or something. Make it lighter. But I can move it. Or find someone to move it for me....” Felicity trailed off as she realized what she just said. Here he was, offering to help her and she just told him she would get someone else. There was a small smile on his face and she stared at it. There was something...

“I’m someone, so let me help.” Oliver moved into her cubicle, taking care to not crowd her too much in the small confines of the space. He thought she would step out but instead, she moved further in backing up against her chair.

“Where would you like it?” he asked, looking down at her, the box the only thing between them. Felicity wordlessly pointed to the surface to her right and he set it down, pushing it back against the wall so it didn’t jut out. Oliver moved to step back out of the cubicle but then froze when he found himself just a breath away from her. No mask, no hood, no voice distorter. She stared up at him and he kept very still, not wanting to frighten her. He had not seen her since that night on the balcony, instead choosing to leave her coffee every morning. She looked more rested yet there were faint signs of exhaustion that he could only attribute to her return to work. He studied her intently, his hand itching to touch her cheek now that it wasn’t gloved; to feel the softness of her skin beneath the pads of his fingertips.

Felicity couldn’t breathe. She thought it was fear but it wasn’t the same feeling she had when a stranger came to close in the hotel, or like today when her boss kept putting his hand on the small of her back when he held a door for her. She realized it wasn’t fear but anticipation. Of what, she had no idea but there it was. It was odd though, because she only ever felt this way with the Green Arrow. There was an intimacy in his gaze that was unnerving and the tiny quirk of his lips was so familiar. Felicity tilted her head and her gaze sharpened.

It was the small furrow developing between her brows that had Oliver quickly stepping back. He gave her his patented Oliver Queen smile and she looked away. He let his smile drop, instinctively knowing it was too much.

“Thank you, Mr. Queen,” she said softly, one hand coming to rest on the lid of the carton.

“Of course. What about the one on your chair?”

“It’s fine. Thank you. Was there something you needed from IT, Sir?”

Oliver winced at her use of the word “Sir.”

“Please, call me Oliver. And no, I just wanted to welcome you back to QC.”

“Oh. Well, thank you. And thank you for sending Mr. Diggle to assist me today. The other day, too.”

Oliver nodded and an awkward silence fell between them. He watched as Felicity looked everywhere but at him and he was unsure how to make this stiff formality between them disappear. He tried to think of something to say.  This wasn't at all how he envisioned this meeting.  He was starting to feel jealous of his alter ego which was incredibly ridiculous.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Queen. I’m terrible at small talk these days,” Felicity suddenly blurted out. “I’m terrible at making small talk in general but after,” and she waved her hands around before just plowing on, “I’m even worse. Just terrible. Especially today, my first day back. I’m sorry. I’m just...”

Oliver shook his head, refusing her apology.

“No, I should apologize. I walked in here, scared you to death, and then crowded you in your cubicle, and moved stuff you didn’t want me to...”

“Well, technically you’re my boss so you can pretty much do what you want with me.”

The silence exploded between them. Felicity’s eyes widened in horror at what she just said and Oliver’s lips twitched as he tried to hold back his smile. A giggle escaped from Felicity and she clapped her hands over her mouth. Oliver let his smile free and Felicity responded in kind.

“May I start over?” Oliver asked, and Felicity nodded, amusement dancing in her eyes. He gave another smile and cleared his throat.

“Felicity Smoak? Hi, I’m Oliver Queen. I wanted to personally welcome you back to QC.”

“Mr. Queen, thank you. It’s good to be back.”

“Oliver, please.”

Felicity nodded and when Oliver held his hand out again, she slipped her hand inside his without hesitation.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity realizes how much she is letting fear control her life and takes steps to start moving forward.

Diggle leaned against the security desk, waiting for Felicity to depart for the day.  He studied the crowd of reporters waiting outside the doors to QC, recognizing several faces and noting new ones.  Diggle swept another look across the group and realized that the press interest was only growing.  The crowd was bigger tonight; larger than Felicity’s first day back a few days ago. 

“Rawlins,” Diggle called over his shoulder, his sharp eyes cataloguing every individual he did not recognize.  Thanks to Oliver’s ever present status as a media darling, Diggle pretty much knew every local journalist and reporter.  Right now, there were several men and women he did not recognize, four of which he knew immediately were not members of the press.

“Yes Sir?”

“Make sure video surveillance of the main entrance is sweeping the crowd.  I don’t want a single face left off video.  In particular, zoom in on those four men there,” Diggle ordered indicating the men without revealing what he was doing to anyone looking inside the lobby.  It was not unusual for Diggle to provide direction to QC security personnel.  Never one to miss an opportunity to improve any division within QC, Moira quickly recognized the advantage of having Diggle as a consultant to QC security.  Once Oliver began working as an executive for the family company, it only made sense to hire Diggle as an independent contractor to QC’s security division.  As a result, Diggle was responsible for the improvement in building surveillance and security and quickly became the final word on new hires.  It was no wonder that QC’s security personnel were a highly trained force in corporate security.

“Yes Sir,” Rawlins responded and promptly picked up the phone to call back to the security offices located behind the elevator banks.

Diggle nodded and went back to studying the growing crowd.  He frowned.  The four men were alert, studying the entrance to the lobby while peering intently inside to observe the security station.  Despite the tinted windows that somewhat obscured a clear view inside, Diggle wasn’t taking any chances.  He straightened and motioned to Rawlins. 

“Have Mr. Queen’s car brought into the lower parking garage, and put a small response team put on stand-by.  You know who Miss Smoak is, correct?” Diggle waited for Rawlins’ nod before continuing.  “She’s going to be leaving work soon and once the press catches sight of her, they are going to attempt to enter the premises.  Team is not to engage unless the press attempts to enter the building.  Understood?”

Rawlins nodded and began relaying Diggle’s instructions to the team leader in back. Diggle turned when he heard the elevator announce its arrival in the lobby and saw Oliver striding towards him.  He wasn’t surprised.  Changes in security were relayed to the Queen family and senior executives via text or e-mail.  As soon as he ordered increased video sweeps of the media outside, notice was sent immediately. He’d been expecting Oliver. 

“Crowd is larger than normal,” Oliver observed, his sharp eyes catching what Diggle noted.  He zeroed in on the four individuals that were most certainly not press.  Oh, they had the look down alright; microphones, cameras, voice recorders, checking their watches but they didn’t blend enough.  While other members of the press were laughing and talking with each other, these men kept to themselves, heads constantly moving in synchronized sweeps of the crowd.

“Yes. Interest in Felicity isn’t dying down.  The more she avoids them, the more their interest is piqued.”

Oliver nodded in agreement, his eyes watching every movement of the men trying to pass themselves off as reporters.  From a distance, they appeared average: average height, average weight, average features; the perfect average for blending in a large crowd.

“She should be down any minute,” Diggle said after a quick glance at his watch.

“I’m not hiding this from her,” Oliver stated, turning towards Diggle, “she needs to know.  Keeping her in the dark about possible threats won’t make her safer.  And knowledge gives her control.”

Diggle nodded in agreement just as a quiet ding announced an elevator’s arrival.  Both men turned and saw Felicity stride out, rifling through her bag.  Looking up, she spotted Diggle and Oliver, and started to smile. The somber look on their faces had her pausing mid-stride, smile faltering. Something was wrong.  Looking around them, she noticed the ever present media lying in wait.  She frowned.  The crowd was larger than normal.  Was that what concerned them? 

“Is it me,” she said by way of greeting, “or is the crowd outside larger than normal? And wow, did I just use normal to describe my ever present fan club? Also, I don’t recognize some of these people. Especially those guys,” Felicity said in a rush, nodding in the direction of the same men that Oliver and Diggle identified. 

“It is and you did,” Diggle replied, trying to keep the tone light but if the look on Felicity’s face was any indication, he failed.  Her smile completely disappeared.  “And because there are new faces, we are going to leave from the lower garage.”

“There’s something else, though, isn’t there?” Felicity asked, alarm bells ringing in her head.  Something was wrong.

When neither man spoke, Felicity felt the first vestiges of fear start to crawl over the back of her neck. _It must be bad,_ she thought. 

“Just tell me,” she said, “just tell me what’s wrong.”

Oliver glanced over his shoulder and saw the men had fanned out in pairs.  They skirted the edge of the press, keeping their arms loose at their sides.  He saw one of them looking straight into the lobby.  Luckily, they were far enough back from the entrance that Felicity wasn’t immediately visible with Oliver and Diggle standing in front of her.  He turned back to Felicity, just as Diggle began to explain.

“Felicity, those men you pointed out as new? We don’t think they are press,” Diggle said bluntly, hating the way she paled as she understood what he wasn’t saying.

Felicity blinked several times and she stumbled back as the meaning of his words sunk in.  She forced herself to stay still and tried to remember the techniques the trauma specialist taught her when she felt panic take hold.  She was supposed to focus on why she was safe, articulate factual reasons why she was safe to pull back from the panic. 

“Felicity, I have this under control,” Diggle continued. “It’s going to be fine.  No one, especially those four, are getting close to you. Not while I’m here.”

_I’m safe inside. Diggle is here. QC security is here._   Her breathing became shallow and sounded harsh to her own ears.  _Keep it together,_ she ordered, _keep it together.  You can do this._  Her fingers flexed around the strap of her bag and her eyes were wild as they searched the area beyond the press.  _Was he out there? Did he know she could be in danger? He promised he’d watch over me._

Oliver watched as Felicity intently searched the area beyond the press.  _She’s looking for me_ , he suddenly realized.  He wanted to tell her he was there, right in front of her.  He could certainly leave and reappear as his alter ego but there wasn’t time and he didn’t want to. He would do this as Oliver Queen and not some man in a mask.

“Do you think,” she swallowed a couple of times, bile churning in her stomach.  She looked between Diggle and Oliver, knowing they discussed this before she came down to the lobby.  She tried again.

“Do you think they are here for me? That _they_ sent them to take me again?”  

This time, Oliver responded.  He nodded and reached out slowly, mindful of her aversion to touching, and put a gentle hand on Felicity’s shoulder. He felt her shaking and he squeezed her shoulder gently to get her attention.  She turned startled eyes to him, and Oliver swore to himself when he saw the fear she was trying so desperately to control.

“Hey...it’s okay...you’re safe.  I’m here. Diggle’s here. All of QC security is on alert.  We won’t let anything happen to you.  We saw them and we immediately took action to avoid the threat.  Nothing is going to happen. I promise.”

Felicity concentrated on Oliver’s words, his low, calm tone penetrating the fog of sheer panic she was struggling to hold at bay.  She looked at his hand where it rested on her shoulder, the warmth seeping through her coat.  His hold was firm but gentle, letting her know she could pull away whenever she wanted.  She found she wanted to lean in to his touch.  It was so... _familiar_...and she could feel herself slowly calming under its influence.

“Okay...I’m okay, I’m okay,” she repeated, closing her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply.  She took several more deep breaths and then another, mentally adding Oliver to her list of reasons why she was safe.  It surprised her, how readily she accepted Oliver as someone who could keep her safe.  She would need to consider that carefully, but later. Right now, she was considering the location of the nearest trash can in case the nausea she was feeling developed into something more.

Taking one more breath, she opened her eyes.  She nodded her head in response to the question on Diggle’s face and then she looked at Oliver, intending to thank him for steadying her.  Instead, she found her gaze met and held with such force Felicity didn’t think she could look away even if she wanted to.  There was such confidence and determination in his expression; a look that told her he would destroy anyone that tried to get to her.  The fierceness of his protectiveness should have startled her, but instead, it felt right.  It felt _good_.  She was not too proud to admit that right now, she needed the propping.  There was more in his eyes, a familiarity she recognized from before but still could not explain.  And there were shadows, so many shadows.  Felicity recalled the rumors that he may not have been alone on that island and instinctively knew that whatever happened haunted him still.  She saw he was searching her eyes for something and it clicked.  He needed her belief in him, that he could keep her safe.  Still not sure how or why she was so confident in him, she knew he could, and would, keep her safe.  _I believe in you_.  His lips curved into a smile that she found herself returning.

Diggle observed Oliver and Felicity’s exchange with interest.  The level of trust Felicity showed in Oliver was surprising yet not entirely unexpected.  In the short time he’s known her; Diggle quickly learned Felicity had a natural instinct about people.  She saw more than people realized.  He would attribute it to her experience but something told him that Felicity was always able to see what others couldn’t.  And she was smart. More than smart. Genius-level, crazy smart.

“What do we do?” Felicity finally asked the two men in front of her, when she was sure her voice would not quaver.  She squared her shoulders and made a conscious effort to relax her fingers.  Her breathing was still rapid, but it was getting better.  She concentrated on working the problem, not letting the problem work her.  She started counting in her mind, another technique suggested by the specialist. 

“We do what we’ve done the last three evenings,” Diggle answered, “except we are leaving via the lower garage vice the employee garage. Only family and senior executives can access that garage.  QC security swept the lower garage and it is secure.”

Felicity nodded, accepting Diggle’s plan without hesitation.  She gave Oliver questioning look.

“I’m going with you,” Oliver immediately added, answering her unspoken question. “With QC Security, Diggle and me, no one will be able to get close to you.”

“I don’t want to be an inconvenience,” Felicity began, but Oliver interrupted her.

“You’re not, nor could you ever be.”

“I just...I don’t want to always be the victim, the damsel in distress. I need to be able to handle things like this myself.  But I’m also not so stupid to recognize when I’m out of my depth, and right now? I’m out of my depth,” Felicity explained haltingly.  She wanted to stomp her foot in frustration.  Fear was an emotion she thought she would never experience. Two months ago, that changed and now the emotion was stubbornly clinging to her psyche, informing her every decision.  She needed it to stop.

“You’re not a damsel in distress.  Far from it. I’ve never seen anyone so quickly recognize when there is danger and then face it head on as calmly as you did,” Oliver praised, still struck by how bravely she fought through her panic.

“Just how man damsels in distress have you seen? And I was far from calm.  Didn’t you see my “I’m about to hack face?” Felicity joked, smiling her appreciation at his compliment.  Diggle laughed, raising his eyebrows in Oliver’s direction.  _Keep it up, Oliver, and she’ll have you pegged in no time._ Oliver kept himself from rolling his eyes at Diggle, but did mentally give him the middle finger.  From the look on Diggle’s face, it was clear he knew exactly what Oliver was doing.

“Let’s do this,” Oliver said before he physically gave Diggle the finger.  Diggle nodded, the amusement in his eyes only growing.  He managed to mask it as he looked at Felicity only to feel it threatening again at the curious look she was giving the two of them.  Before she could ask the questions he saw forming, he jumped in with instructions on how they would departure.

“Felicity, we are going walk to the private elevators located on just on the other side of security, behind me.  Our movement is going to catch their attention, but Oliver and I are going to block a clear view of you.  Stay in sync with us while we walk, okay?”  Diggle waited for Felicity’s nod before turning to Oliver.  “Ready?”

Oliver stepped behind Diggle and Felicity found herself standing just to their left, hidden behind their broad shoulders.  As soon as they started walking, Diggle’s words came to fruition as a group of reporters closest to the lobby windows caught sight of them and started shouting questions.  The press surged against the glass, some even going so far as to bang on the windows to get her attention. 

“Why are they shouting questions?” Felicity asked completely confused.  “Do they really think I’ll shout answers back?”

“They are trying to get you to look at them,” Diggle responded, keeping his eyes trained on the crowd outside.  He kept track of the four men, although the movement of the press made it difficult.

_Well, that makes sense_.  Despite what Diggle said, she risked a glance outside but her movement only incited the press and she quickly looked away.

“Don’t look,” Oliver ordered, staring straight ahead.  Felicity nodded and stared straight ahead, resisting the urge to take another peek outside and look for the Green Arrow.  She tried not to flinch as the reporters kept pounding on the glass.  She felt a warm hand come down on her shoulder and knew that Oliver was steadying her.  She glanced up at him gratefully and they exchanged a smile.  The flash of bulbs increased and Oliver hastily pulled his hand away. He knew that if any the photos came out clear, the ones with his hand on Felicity’s shoulder would grace the front page.  From the look Felicity gave him out of the corner of her eye, he knew she drew the same conclusions.

QC security guards came swarming out from a side security interest.  Some carried temporary barriers to create a parameter.  As other guards began pushing the press away from the windows, the remaining guards set up the barriers, blocking the press access to the windows and lobby doors.  The ceaseless banging on the glass finally stopped and Felicity sighed in relief as they reached the small alcove housing the private elevators. Oliver and Diggle stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking a clear view of her.  Oliver looked over his shoulder at the media still jostling for a clear view of Felicity.  He was unable to see the four men.  Diggle motioned to his ear piece, letting Oliver know he was on it.  Oliver saw Felicity also searching the crowd.  This time, however, he wasn’t sure if it was the men she was searching for, or him.

“Felicity,” Oliver said in an attempt to distract her.  He was surprised when her eyes snapped to his face.  “Have you considered speaking to the press or making a statement?”

Felicity heard Oliver’s question from afar, her gaze fixated on Oliver, head tilted to one side in contemplation.  The way he said her name, drawing out the syllables...

“Felicity? Are you alright?” Oliver asked, interrupting her thoughts.  Diggle pushed the down button on the elevator again. 

“Hmm? What? Oh. Yes, fine. It’s just...the way you said my name...” Felicity paused a moment and then decided against finishing her sentence.  Ridiculous.  “Never mind.  I’m sorry.  What did you say?”

“I was asking if you considered making a statement to the press?  Give them something so that their interest in you dies faster.”

“That would be a disaster,” Felicity replied, “of epic proportions.  _So_ many reasons why that is the worst idea ever.  Putting my tendency to speak in fragments to the side...Just the idea of standing in front of all those people, the questions they are sure to ask...”

“You wouldn’t have to take any questions,” Diggle said quietly.  “Make a statement.  Thank everyone for their good wishes. And that you hope they respect your inability to answer any questions regarding your kidnapping due to the ongoing investigation.”

Felicity shook her head.  “I don’t know.”

“I would be with you, Felicity,” Diggle reassured her.  He looked at Oliver who nodded.

“I would, too.  And we could do it here at QC, utilize our public relations department.  You would control the entire event.”

_You could control the entire event._ That’s what this really boiled down to; who was in control.  So far, it wasn’t her but rather the press.  They controlled her every movement in her attempts to avoid them completely.  Felicity stared out between Oliver and Diggle’s shoulders to where she could just glimpse the press.  She could not avoid them forever.  This might make them go away. Or at least make most of them go away.

“Just think about it, okay? It’s your decision.  But think about it,” Oliver continued.

Felicity stared up at him, seeing a wealth of compassion and understanding.  He knew what this was like, being hounded by the press.  Even now, all these years later, it was still a rare day when a picture of Oliver Queen didn’t make the papers.  She nodded and the warmth in his eyes deepened.  Felicity felt a blush start to creep up her neck and she quickly looked away.

“I’ll think about it,” she agreed, ducking her head to hide her blush as they stepped into the elevator.  Diggle entered his personal code for the lower garage and they rode the car in silence.  Diggle stepped out first, and Oliver put an arm out, keeping her back until Diggle gave the all clear.  QC security guards stood just outside the glass doors leading to the garage.  The guards turned as they walked out.   

“Mr. Diggle, Mr. Queen.  Miss Smoak.  Area is secured.  The four men you called down about were attempting to enter the garage.  When confronted, they quickly left before we could detain them.  Video surveillance is being pulled as we speak.”

Diggle nodded as Oliver made a frustrated sound.  He really, _really_ wanted to talk to those guys.  Badly.  Felicity once again felt the fear try to take hold.  _Not this time,_ she thought, _not this time. It is under control, so just move through it._   She concentrated on her breathing and the fear ebbed backwards, hovering on the periphery.  She remained where she was, partially hidden by Oliver and Diggle’s broad shoulders until Oliver turned and motioned her forward. 

Oliver and Diggle shared a look as Oliver held the back door of the car open for Felicity.  Diggle moved to the front passenger door, turning back to Oliver who was making his way to the other side of the car.

“Oliver, if those men are part of the organization that took Felicity...”

“I know, Diggle, I know.”  The message was clear; he had to question Felicity about her kidnapping and soon.  If the people who took her were looking to harm her or even worse, take her again, it was time for him to start pressing.

Oliver slid into the seat next to Felicity, pulling the door shut.  Felicity sat tensely beside him.

“Hey,” he said quietly, leaning closer to her. “You’re safe.”

“Am I?” she asked, just as quietly. “As long as _they_ are out there, am I really safe? Do you think those men work for _them_?  Were they here to try and take me again? Or maybe they were here to take me and kill me. So I wouldn’t speak or describe any of them to the police.”

Oliver looked down at her hands clenched tightly in her lap and before he could stop himself, he leaned in closer to lay his hand over hers.  She stiffened for a split second before relaxing.

“Today, they failed.  You won.  But I want you to let Diggle to continue escorting you to and from work and anywhere else you want to go.  Just until we know more.  Please let me do this.”

Felicity looked at his hand covering her own.  It was steady and assured. Much like him and this surprised her.  This wasn’t the Oliver Queen the press took great joy in hounding as Starling City’s most eligible bachelor and playboy.  She glanced up at him through her lashes and saw he was staring intently down at her.  She tilted her head back, staring him straight in the eye, trying to see to the heart of him.  There were so many secrets he was hiding.

“Why? Why are you being so kind to me?  You hardly know me.”

Oliver didn’t have an answer for her.  He couldn’t tell her the full truth, about having known her far longer than she realized.  That it was he who rescued her from those people.  And even if she knew, he couldn’t put to words why she was any different than the other people he helped over the years. There was just something about her that drew him in.  She was real in a way that others were not.  And that was his answer.

“Because there’s something about you, Felicity Smoak.”

Felicity gave a faint smile and blushed.  She stared up at him a moment longer before looking away to stare out the tinted windows as the car pulled out of the garage and turned away from downtown Starling City.

“A circuitous route?” she asked, recalling the different routes Diggle took every night he drove her back to the hotel.  Oliver nodded in confirmation.  Felicity leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes.  Oliver removed his hand and shifted slightly, bringing his shoulder warmly against hers.  She resisted the temptation to lean against him, instead breathing in his scent.

“Have you provided the police with any more information regarding your kidnapping?” Oliver asked, his eyes tracing the contours of her face.  With her eyes closed, he could stare at her features freely without her wondering why.  He traced the slope of her cheeks with his gaze, the plumpness of her lower lip.  He wanted to run his thumb across that lower lip, feel her teeth nip his skin.  Oliver looked away, shifting again.

Felicity felt the weight of his stare, but didn’t open her eyes.  She wasn’t unnerved by it, like she was when others stared at her as if she was some freak returned from the dead.  Instead, she found herself enjoying it, wondering what he thought as he stared at her.  There was a familiarity in his presence that niggled at the back of her mind.  She breathed deeply again, letting his scent wash over her, clean and sharp, like a summer storm.  She felt a memory stir and she went to grasp the threads when Oliver spoke again.

“Felicity?”

“What? No...no. I haven’t,” Felicity replied, eyes opening, frowning a bit at the interruption.

“Any information could help the police catch these guys faster, eliminate the threat of being taken again,” Oliver gently encouraged, ignoring the obvious selfish motivation behind his interest.  If she gave the police more to investigate, he could get his hands on that report and maybe not have to press her so hard.  It would help him and Diggle move forward on their investigation. 

“I know. It’s just talking about it, with them...when...” Felicity swallowed her suspicions about the police department.  He would think she was insane.  Yet there was one person who wouldn’t and maybe, just maybe, he was the person she should be talking to anyway.  Clearing her throat, she smiled at Oliver.

“I’ll try,” was all she said.  She was uncomfortable with lying but consoled herself with the fact that she really was going to try, just not with the police. 

* * *

 

His phone vibrated and he pulled it from his pocket. Recognizing the number, he excused himself from the meeting he was currently attending.  He stepped out into the hall.

“Yes?”

“Extraction failed. Target left via alternative means.”

His hand tightened around the phone.

“And that hindered you because?”

“Sir, she was under escort.”

“Who?”

“Oliver Queen and his bodyguard, John Diggle.”

“Eliminate the men who failed.”

He hung up and immediately dialed another number.

“Yes?”

“Mr. Diggle has become a fixture at Miss Smoak’s side.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line.

“Yes, Oliver has taken an interest in the girl, likely due to his own experience with the press when he first returned to Starling City.”

“Fix it.”

He disconnected the call.  Running a hand over his head, he waited another thirty seconds before returning to his meeting.

“My apologies.  Shall we continue?” 

Across town, Moira lowered her phone from her ear and turned her chair to stare out her office windows.  It appeared she needed to have another conversation with Oliver.

* * *

Felicity found it difficult to sleep after the evening she had.  Despite the emotional toll the night took on her, the lingering fear had her jerking awake repeatedly. At 3:30, she woke again, this time after dreaming that the press was shouting questions at her while her tormentors were questioning her.  In her dream, the tormentors carried recorders and press badges.  _I am so disturbed,_ she thought as she sat up in bed.  She pushed her hair out of her face, wiping the sheen of sweat that covered her forehead.  She thought about the men pretending to be press and then the idea of holding a press conference intruded on her thoughts.  Needing to clear her mind, she crept out onto her balcony with her beautiful new iPad.  After wrapping a blanket around her, she attached the iPad to the wireless keyboard she purchased online and shipped to QC and finally began the delayed research on her rescuer.

She was reading another news article about the vigilante’s appearance, jotting down notes on another app for her timeline, when she heard the sound of metal clicking coming from the balcony rail in front of her.  Instinctively knowing it was him, she looked up just in time to see a hand covered in green leather grasp the top rail.  Another hand came up, holding a cup of coffee.   _Did he just make that climb one handed,_ she wondered as she glanced at the time on her iPad.  It was five in the morning, just over an hour until dawn.  Recalling the last time she startled him from her corner on the balcony, she decided to alert him to her presence.

“Before you grab that bow and arrow of yours and drop my coffee, I’m sitting right here,” Felicity said out loud. The figure stilled, hanging by one hand from her balcony for a moment before he started moving again.  He didn’t speak until he was over the balcony. 

“It’s early,” he said, setting the coffee on the small table she was resting her feet on.  Not a drop spilled on his climb. She raised her eyebrows.  _Well, that’s impressive._  

“I couldn’t sleep,” she replied, reaching for the coffee.  She looked up at him but as usual, his features were shadowed in the early morning darkness. She could just make out his eyes, glinting from beneath his hood as he looked at her with concern.

“Are you alright?”

Felicity took a long sip and shuddered in delight.  She rolled the cup between her palms as she stared at it thoughtfully.  She wondered how he convinced Starbuck’s to open so early.

“I was returning from patrol about a year ago when I saw someone holding the morning crew at gunpoint while they robbed the store.  I ended the robbery. They give me free coffee if I’m in the area while they are prepping to open,” he explained, reading the question on her face.  Felicity looked at him in surprise.

“I’m starting to understand how your mind works,” he said, tapping at his temple with a gloved finger.  Felicity smiled briefly and took another sip before answering his earlier question.

“I’m fine. The usual nightmare with a twist.”

“A twist?”

“The press was in my nightmare,” Felicity said giving a half-hearted laugh, trying for humor.  She could tell she failed by the tightening of his lips. 

“I heard about what happened,” he said softly through the voice distorter.  Without warning, a surge of irritation swept through Felicity.  _He heard?_  His concern rankled and the mechanical sound of his voice scraped against Felicity’s ears like nails on a chalk board.  _He heard? Wasn’t he supposed to be watching over me? Didn’t he promise?_ From somewhere far away, Felicity noted that she was being absolutely ridiculous.  But the saner part of herself, that part that had her getting through each day, hour by hour, minute by minute, was too tired to stay in control.

“You heard. So you weren’t there. And how did you hear? Is there a website for vigilantes? You and that running guy in Central City trade tips?” she asked in a voice heavy with sarcasm.  He stayed quiet, not answering her questions.  _They aren’t really questions_ , the saner part of her said rationally, _there more like accusations and childish hurt_.  Felicity shoved away being rational, needing to be ridiculous this very moment.

“There were men there, ready to snatch me and take me back to _them,_ or kill me.  You never would have found me again.  I could be in their clutches right now.” 

_Stop, stop, stop,_ she chanted in her mind, but no, the floodgates were open and the fear she controlled earlier was now controlling her.  And that made her angry so she grabbed onto the angry, using it to hide her fear.

“You promised you would watch over me, you promised that I would be safe.  You didn’t keep your promise today.  Someone else did.”

Felicity clamped her mouth shut.  That was too far and she knew it.  This was not his fault. None of it was his fault.  It wasn’t her fault either.  This was her life right now.  There was no going back to before.  She needed to learn how to live this life, to control it and not let it control her.  She looked away, ashamed of her outburst.  Her cheeks felt hot and she knew they were flaming red with embarrassment.

“Felicity,” he began and she held up a hand, very embarrassed, not wanting him to apologize or try to explain.  He did not owe her any explanations.  Quite the opposite.  

“Don’t. Okay? Don’t. I’m sorry. I thought I was fine. I thought I made it through what happened today.  Apparently I didn’t.  But don’t. Please.  I’m feeling a bit raw and I’m still a bit scare...okay a lot...God, how I hate telling you that...and being rational is just not going to happen right now. I’m angry right now at this whole situation and you just happen to make a handy target for my anger.”

“You did make it through today, Felicity, you did,” he reminded her. “You’re sitting right here in front of me, beautiful, if not a little bit tired, but right here in front of me.”

Felicity choked back her tears as she laughed, “Tired? After all that, you are calling me tired? I suppose it fits...I was acting like a tired child.”

_And beautiful,_ she told herself, but she there was _no way_ she was going to touch that right now.  But the man in green wasn’t shy about repeating himself.

“No, just a tired woman pushed to her limits.  But I also called you beautiful,” he reminded her, the barest hint of a smile on his face.  Felicity ducked her head shyly. She couldn’t remember the last time someone called her beautiful.

“Talk to me, Felicity.”

She tried to gather her thoughts but they were so scattered it was nearly impossible.  Finally, she decided to simply say what she was so afraid to admit, even to herself; how quickly she wanted to give up last night.

“I thought I was done, that _they_ would get me.  I wanted to just surrender to all that fear,” she paused a moment, “but I couldn’t because Diggle wouldn’t let me.”

“And neither would Oliver,” she added softly, recalling how he steadied her.

He liked how she said his name.  The vowels softened by the tone of her voice, the way she lingered on it at the end.  For a brief moment he wondered who she thought about more, him or _him_? The ridiculousness of the thought did not escape him.  It would be so much easier to just tell her that he was Oliver Queen. He knew she could be trusted with his secret.  However, this life he chose was his choice.  He couldn’t involve her unless he knew it was a choice she would make for herself.  It didn’t mean he couldn’t tell her his secret, he just need to be sure she was exactly who he and Diggle thought she was; for their own safety but more so for Diggle’s.  He had a wife and, some day, children to protect.  He also needed to be sure she would want any part of this life.  Once he told her, _if he_ told her, it couldn’t be undone.  He had to think with his mind here.

“I can’t begin to tell you how many times I wanted to give up.  To go back to that damn i—” Oliver stopped himself just in time. “To go back to where I came from despite how awful it was there.  But each day was better than the one before.  And there is so much in Starling City worth saving. I couldn’t turn my back.  You’ll find your way, Felicity. Just give it time.  You’ll find your normal.”

“There’s that word again,” Felicity sighed. “I don’t even know what it means anymore.  I know my life can’t go back, but I don’t know what to do with it now.  Looking back, I have no idea if I ever had...if I ever had purpose.  Oh, I had goals, met those goals even.  But purpose? I don’t know.  If I did, I can’t see it anymore.”

“You’ll find your purpose when you least expect it.”

Felicity studied the man before her, knowing he spoke from experience.

“And your purpose? Has it helped you find your way?”

“I wear a mask and a hood. What do you think?”

“I think you’ve come a long way from the man who indiscriminately put arrows in people,” Felicity answered, her voice gentle and holding no judgment.  Oliver looked at her in surprise and she waved a hand at her iPad.

“Research,” she said in explanation.  Oliver nodded, turning his back to her to look over the city. 

“I was different then. It’s not who I am now,” he said, wanting to explain more.  But it would reveal too much and it wasn’t the time.  He clenched the rail tightly, jerking in surprise when a small hand came to rest on his shoulder.  It was the first time she touched him on her own.

“I know,” Felicity said.  They were quiet for a moment before she spoke again.

I’m sorry,” she apologized again, “for before.  For being so...I don’t know...irrational. I’m generally not. Irrational that is. I’m just so frustrated that I can’t find my way back.”

He looked down at her expecting to meet her gaze.  Instead, she was staring out over the city, her gaze determinedly forward.  He smiled as he recognized that she was showing him that she would leave him to his anonymity.

“It takes time,” he repeated, reaching up and taking her hand in his.  He clasped their hands together, linking their fingers.  Felicity looked down at their entwined hands in surprise.  He held her hand firmly, rubbing his thumb across the top.  She liked the way he held her hand.

“How did you know about today?” she asked again only this time, it was softer and more curious than anything else.

Oliver hesitated briefly before replying. He didn’t want to add more violence into her life.  Yet, this was about her.  He and Diggle already decided that she should know about anything related to her.

“Four unidentified men were found in the Glades earlier this morning.  They were carrying fake press credentials and QC security guidance for press access to the building.”

Felicity breathed in sharply.

“Do you know—”

“No,” Oliver interrupted. “By the time I arrived on the scene, the bodies were gone and police were taking final statements.  Apparently, someone called QC because Diggle was there representing QC security.  I overheard him identifying them as men that were at QC earlier in the evening.”

Felicity raised a brow at his casual use of Diggle’s surname.  _He must know Diggle_ , she thought, making a mental not to ask Diggle if he knew the Green Arrow.

“The convenience store on the corner just happened to have a working security camera trained on the ally where they were found. Brand new, put in after the owner was held at gunpoint last week.  But the video has been secured by Starling City police. It could be nothing, but there may be some clue on there as to who is responsible for taking you.”

An idea popped into Felicity’s head and she tried to push it away but it wouldn’t go.  She could get that video.  It wouldn’t be hard.  And it would help him, this man she owed her very life to.  And it would help her.  By helping him, she may just be able to find her way back.  Trying to live her life the way it was before she was taken was obviously not working.  Perhaps it was time to focus on how she would live this life, a second chance at living, and do things differently.  Her new normal could include this, helping him. Surprise at how quickly her mind turned in this direction, Felicity searched for any feeling of guilt at what she was about to do.  There was none. If anything, she felt a flame come to life in her.  Reluctantly, she pulled her hand from his to do this for him, and for herself.  She was surprised to feel his fingers tighten on hers before he let her go. 

“I can help you with that,” she said, her fingers already flexing.  She went back to her iPad and Oliver watched her curiously.  God, she fascinated him.  He was starting to feel like a moonstruck teenage boy when he was around her.  She bit her lower lip as she looked at her screen and Oliver swallowed hard.  He looked away from her face, shifting his attention to her hands as they danced across her keyboard. He was about to ask her what she was doing when a broad smile broke across her face.  He was so stunned by the beauty of that smile he initially didn’t register what was on the screen of the iPad she turned to face him.  When he did, he blinked in surprise.

“What the—” he breathed, moving closer to the iPad and Felicity as he watched a grainy video of the area where the four men were found. 

“I hacked into the Starling City police database,” she said with a careless shrug. “It really was easy.  Their firewalls are a disgrace.”

He looked at the video and then at her.

“You hacked into a police database?” he repeated, completely dumbfounded.  His eyes went back to the video playing out in front of him.

“You prance around the city in a hood and mask brandishing a bow and arrow. No judging,” Felicity reprimanded him primly.

“I’m not judging. I’m impressed,” Oliver corrected smiling at her description of him. “Can you download this or something?”

Felicity felt something akin to pride wriggle its way from somewhere far away.  It was odd feeling yet comforting.  It was almost as if a part of her was coming back from where she protectively buried it long ago.

“I don’t suppose you have an e-mail address? You know something like, starlingcityvigilante@gmail.com, or maybe even thegreenarrow@yahoo.com? I can e-mail it to you without leaving a trace,” she asked hopefully, thinking she might be able to back trace the source IP address and figure out who this mask man really was.

Oliver laughed, “Uh, no.”

“Of course not,” Felicity sighed.  “Bring me a USB...thumb drive,” she corrected at his confused look, “next time. I uploaded the video to the cloud so I won’t have to hack in again to get it.”

Oliver held out a thumb drive he took from his jacket and Felicity raised her eyebrows as she took it from him and connected it to her iPad.

“Of course you have one on you. Aren’t you just the perfect boy scout?”

“Thank you, Felicity.  This helps so much,” Oliver said, his sincerity coming through the voice distorter as he pocketed the thumb drive. Felicity smiled and began backing out of the police department’s evidence database.  She carefully erased her footprint before closing out the line of code.  Sighing, she closed her iPad, her eyes fluttering shut as she rubbed her head.  God, she was tired.

Oliver eyed Felicity for a minute, wondering what else she could do with computers.  As if she could hear his thoughts, her lips curved into a small smile.

“I can do a lot with computers.  Like blow your mind a lot.  Hacking is easy.  Although, I haven’t done a hack since college. Not that I hacked regularly. Just something I tried. Only once in a while,” she rushed to explain, eyes popping open as she realized she was admitting to breaking the law.  Not that it mattered, he did so every night.  

“Of course, _they_ didn’t believe me, no matter how many times I tried to tell them,” Felicity added as an afterthought as she leaned forward to put her iPad on the table.  Oliver’s ears perked at the small hint of what the men were questioning her about during her captivity, Oliver waited a beat, trying to decide whether to push for more.  Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the first signs of dawn creeping up over the horizon.  He didn’t have time.

“I have to go,” he said indicating the sun beginning to rise.  Felicity looked at the faint signs of dawn peeking from behind the buildings across the street. She nodded.

“Oh yes, the sun. I might get a peek under the hood.”

Oliver laughed out loud and Felicity simply closed her eyes in silent mortification. 

“Before you go, I want...I’d like...that is...I think it’s time I tried to talk about what happened.”

Oliver looked at Felicity in surprise.  This was unexpected.

“Are you going to talk to the police?” he asked, glancing back at the horizon. She shook her head.

“No. I think the police were involved in some way,” she whispered.  Oliver jerked back in shock. He glanced over his shoulder again. He really needed to go.

“I’ll talk to you though,” she said hesitantly. “At least I’ll try.  I want these people caught, and I’m certain the police are more interested in what I know to determine how much of a threat I may be and then tell _them_.  I know myself though.  If I’m not pushed, I’ll keep parts to myself, bury them deep and that is where the most valuable clues may actually be.  Will you help me?”

He was moved she trusted him enough to ask him this, to put herself in his hands, Oliver could only nod.  His mind moved in a million directions regarding her belief the police was involved in her kidnapping.  That may actually explain Lyla’s taking.  There was only one cop he knew that was above reproach although the idea of approaching him made him want to tug at a tie he wasn’t even wearing.  He needed to warn Felicity though about letting him question her.  As much as he wanted to treat her differently, he knew he couldn’t.  He also knew that she would be angry if he treated her with kid gloves.

“I will help you but you may not like it, Felicity.  I may have to push you to places you won’t want to go, places that you’ve blocked because the pain associated with that memory.  Are you willing to go through that?” Oliver asked, wondering if this was too soon and if he could cause her to break.  She nodded bravely.

“One more thing, before you go.  I’m also considering giving a press conference,” she said, “Maybe if I make a statement, the press will start to back off.  I’ve been letting them control my life thus far. It needs to stop.”

Another surprise.

“It wasn’t my idea, but it’s a good idea.  Avoiding them is making it worse,” Felicity said hurriedly, seeing the surprised look on his face.  “I haven’t decided for sure, but I am leaning in favor.  Oliver offered the services of QC’s public relations department.  I would probably hold it there.  I would be safe there, with QC Security, Diggle, and Oliver.”

“Yes, they would keep you safe,” was all he said, but Felicity noticed how an undercurrent in his tone.  Was he _jealous_? No...maybe?

“I have to go,” he said and this time Felicity knew she was not imagining his reluctance.  She nodded, letting him see her own reluctance.

Oliver put one hand on the rail in preparation to leave.  He paused a moment and then turned back.

“There’s something about you, Felicity, which makes me want to protect you from all the bad that’s out there.  But then I see your strength, that fighting spirit that sassed me the first time I met you.  You don’t need protecting, not in the traditional sense of the word at least.”

He looked at her intently and Felicity had the feeling he was trying to tell her something. 

“I’m always close by, Felicity. Closer than you realize.  Someday you’ll understand. But always know, I’m close by.”

Felicity looked up at him, frowning at his words. Before she could demand an explanation, he vaulted over the rail and slipped away. 

* * *

“Mr. Queen?”

Oliver grunted not turning from his monitor.  He was reviewing the latest prospectus sent from Isabel Rochev on a small pharmaceutical company in China.  Jin Cheung, the gentleman he met at his mother’s dinner party, was interested in a limited liability partnership with Queen Consolidated in the purchase of the company for redevelopment into a research laboratory for cutting edge pharmaceuticals.  What had Oliver so engrossed wasn’t the information that was on the page, but the information missing.

“Mr. Queen?” his secretary said again, a little more impatiently.

“What is it, Mrs. Morris?” Oliver said without turning from the screen.  For the life of him, he did not see what exactly the company would be researching.

“There is someone from IT here to see you,” she began but Oliver interrupted.

“I didn’t place a call to the helpdesk.  My e-mail is fine. I have internet. I don’t care if my phone isn’t working.”

“Very well, Sir.  I’ll tell Miss Smoak that she was sent in error.”

“Wait! What? Who?” Oliver turned in surprise and saw Felicity patiently waiting just outside his office.  He jumped up, absurdly happy that she sought him out.  It had been two nights since he last spoke with her, thanks to the recent long hours he was putting in at QC.  His mother assigned him several new projects, including this one, all of which kept him busy well into the night.  As a result, he didn’t have time to visit her as the Green Arrow either.  From Diggle, he knew that she found an apartment and was moving in at the end of the week and that she reached out to the trauma specialist from the hospital and established a weekly appointment schedule as well as a daily phone call for the foreseeable future.    

“Felicity! Come in!”

Oliver dismissed Mrs. Morris with a look and ushered Felicity into his office.  She looked around the office in awe, slightly intimidated by the splendor of his office.

“I’m sorry to come up unannounced,” she began, sounding a bit nervous.  She looked amazing, rested, more weight on her frame.  The fragility surrounding her was tempered with a bit more steel.  She was finding herself, Oliver realized, and quickly.  He was amazed.  It had only been a few nights since he last saw her.

“Felicity, you’re welcome to drop by any time.  I’m sorry we haven’t had a chance to talk since last time. How are you? You look amazing,” Oliver blurted out and to his horror, he realized he was blushing. And gushing.  In his entire life, no one ever made him act this way.  He was more used to being on the receiving end of the gushing, not the one doing the gushing.  God, if Diggle were here the man would be on the floor laughing.

“Better, thank you,” Felicity said, her cheeks turning pink.  _He just said I looked amazing. Oliver Queen said I looked amazing. Twice in one week a man has told me I look good. That has to be a record,_ Felicity thought.

“What brings you up here, Felicity?”

“I’ve been thinking about what you and Diggle said, about having some sort of a press conference.”

“And?” Oliver asked, having wondered about her decision since that night.  

“Well, I think you are both right. I think I should do it.  I _want_ to do it.”

Oliver noticed that Felicity hands were cupping her elbows, almost like she was trying to hug herself.  Her words said one thing, but her body language another.  He straightened from his desk, and came closer, clasping her gently on her upper arm.  She looked up at him and he saw the anxiety swirling in her eyes along with a familiar despair and weariness. 

“It was only an idea.  This is not something you to do.  We can think of something else,” he offered softly but she was shaking her head.

“No. I’ve let them dictate my life for too long now.  They are the first thing I think about when I leave the hotel or the office; how I will avoid them, what exit I will use, what route Diggle takes to get me back to the hotel.  And now that I found a place to live, I just want them gone.”

“Taking part of your life back?”

“Exactly,” Felicity smiled, pleased he understood.  Then again, he was probably the only person who really did understand.

“How did you deal with them? Get them to leave you alone when you first came back to Starling City?”

Oliver rubbed a hand through his hair and smile sheepishly.

“Not one of my finest moments actually.  Photographer came to close, my instincts from the island kicked in and...” Oliver shrugged. “Couple thousand dollars later – to replace his camera – the press backed off.”

_A couple of thousand dollars? For a camera? And what instincts?_ She couldn’t help the smile at the image his words conjured.

“Oh...I think I would have enjoyed watching that,” she said, a small laugh in her voice.

“I’m sure the footage is somewhere out there...long buried in the internet.”

“If it’s on the internet, I can find it,” Felicity responded with confidence.  Oliver laughed and thinking of how quickly she hacked into the police evidence data base, he didn’t doubt it.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be entirely comfortable with this idea, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea.  If I don’t do this, it’s because I’m afraid and I need to stop making decisions based on fear. Otherwise, I’ll never be able to fully move forward,” Felicity said, returning to the topic at hand.

“I’ll be there, right by your side,” he promised.  “I know Diggle will, too.”

“That is part of the reason why I’m willing to do this. I know you and Diggle will protect me.” 

Oliver had a sense of déjà vu quickly followed by guilt. This conversation was eerily like the one he had with her as the Green Arrow.  Except she was actually telling _him_ what she already told his alter ego.

“Anyway, I should go—” Felicity said, pointing over her shoulder to the door.  She took a step back and Oliver’s hand fell to his side.

“Are you hungry?  We could have lunch. I’ll send Mrs. Morris for some sandwiches...” Oliver looked out but didn’t see Mrs. Morris.

“Oliver, it’s after 5. Lunch was hours ago.”

“Oh. Well then coffee? Wait, it’s after 5. You just said that.”

Oliver clamped his mouth shut to stop the babble.  Felicity smiled, thoroughly entertained. 

“You know, I’ve never been on the receiving end of someone else babbling. Usually that’s my area.”

Oliver laughed, “Sorry. I just...I enjoy spending time with you Felicity.”

Felicity frowned, Oliver’s reputation as a playboy skating through her mind.  He couldn’t be serious.  He was being kind.  She recalled his words from the other day, that there was something about her, but still.  This was Oliver Queen.  He could have any woman he wanted, and if the press was to be believed, did.  While she didn't really buy into their portrayal of him, that didn't mean he didn't enjoy his fair share of women.  She gave him a skeptical look and Oliver stepped back.  A mask fell over his face, taking away the warmth and humor and replacing it with Oliver Queen’s public face.

“I’m sorry. That was out of line,” Oliver said, his voice remote.  Awkward silence filled the room and Felicity took another step back unsure of how to fix this.

“No, that’s okay. I’ll just—” Felicity made another motion with her hand to the door and began to walk toward it.  From the corner of her eye, she watched as Oliver looked down at his desk, one hand rifling the papers.  There was a bleak look on his face and Felicity knew that she where she had _seen_ him before, today, she failed to see him.  

She paused, with one hand on the door.  She could fix this.  She took a breath, not quite believing she was about to do what she was about to do.

“I’m afraid to leave the building to go get coffee,” she said out loud and waited.  Oliver froze, but did not look up.

“I used to get coffee all the time at the Starbuck’s down the street.  They make the perfect lattes.”

Oliver looked up, and Felicity’s heart thumped at the cautious expression on his face.

“Maybe you could walk with me. So I’m not so nervous,” Felicity said, her heart in her throat at what she was doing.  This was Oliver Queen, for God's sake.

Oliver came from behind his desk.  The vulnerability on Felicity’s face ate at him.  For a woman who thought she was giving into fear, she just took a giant step forward.

“One condition,” Oliver said as he came closer, his hands in his pockets.  Felicity raised her eyebrows, waiting.

“You buy,” Oliver said and Felicity burst out laughing. 

“Deal,” she agreed.  They smiled at each other, neither noticing another figure approaching Oliver’s office.

“I’m sorry, Oliver. I didn’t realize you had company.”

Felicity jerked around, her face turning bright red under Moira’s considering stare.  Oliver calmly looked at his mother without reacting.

“Was there something you needed, Mom?”

“Yes,” Moira replied, looking pointedly at Felicity.

“Oh, sorry. I was just leaving. Um, Oliver, thank you.  For, well you know. The press conference stuff, and well...thank you.  Mrs. Queen,” Felicity nodded and slipped out the door. 

She was still waiting for an elevator when Moira’s voice floated out to her.

“Really, Oliver? The IT girl?”

Felicity blushed, grateful when an elevator finally arrived so she could escape.

Moira tapped the file she held against the palm of her hand as she faced her son.

Oliver sighed. “It’s not what you think, Mom. I’m just helping her get through her first few weeks back.  I have some experience with that you know.”

“Yes, Oliver. You mentioned that before.  It’s been a week though.  And what’s this about a press conference?” Moira asked, wondering what exactly her son was doing.

“The press is relentlessly hounding Felicity. I suggested a press conference, something to satisfy their curiousity.”

“I see.  Actually, that’s an excellent idea.  Employees are beginning to complain about their presence and it is disruptive to clients arriving for meetings.  Yes, that’s a very good idea.”

Moira considered the benefit of Miss Smoak having a press conference and how he could use it to his advantage.  Her knowledge of their project remained an unknown and this may be the opportunity they needed.

“She should hold it here, out front where the press always gathers.  Work with our public relations department and of course, security.”

Oliver eyed his mother speculatively but merely nodded and then motioned to the folder in her hand.

“What did you need?”

* * *

 

An hour later, Moira returned to her office.  Shutting the door, she picked up her phone and made the call.

“It’s me.”

“I take it you’ve rectified your son’s habit of providing her security.”

“Not yet, but in the meantime, I have something better for you.”

“I’m listening.”

“She will be giving a press conference. I’ve arranged for it to be held outside.”

There was a moment of silence before he spoke again.

“Excellent. Send me the details.”

Moira lowered the phone from her ear, as she looked out over Starling City.  As she placed her phone on the credenza, she noticed her hand was shaking.  She wasn’t surprised.  After all, she just sent Felicity Smoak to certain death. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity holds a press conference in an effort to take that first step in reclaiming her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that it's taken me this long to update. Work and family took priority these last several weeks.
> 
> The good news? I'm almost done editing the chapter that comes after this one. As always, thank you so much for reading and all the constructive and thoughtful comments!

Felicity pressed a hand to her stomach in an effort to quell the butterflies currently wreaking havoc.  She stared out at the gathering crowd of reporters just outside the entrance to QC.  This was a terrible idea.  One of the worst ideas she ever had. She thought she would be ready, but now, mere minutes away from the press conference, she wasn't sure she could do this.  It was too soon to face this many people.  Too soon to step into the spotlight even if it was for the purpose of removing that same spotlight.  She wanted her quiet, normal life back.  After the pressures of working at the NSA, she accepted the job as a simple IT girl with QC as a way for her to decompress; to forget the political machinations that motivated every decision the NSA made when it came to cyber security.  But instead of the quiet life she longed for, she found herself kidnapped and strapped to a chair with electricity coursing through her every time she failed to answer their questions.  Now, here she was, preparing to address the largest press gathering in Starling City history.  The size was second only to the one that gathered when Oliver returned from the dead.  This was not her life.

 _Only it is,_ she reminded herself, _right now, this is my life.  Don’t look back, only forward. Make your new normal.  This is the first step._  No matter what she told herself, nothing could stop the wave of panic sweeping over her, causing her stomach to churn.  The little food she consumed today threatened to reappear in a more disgusting form. _Yeah, just what I need...a million cameras capturing the moment I vomited all over the press in the front row._   Felicity closed her eyes and began breathing in deeply through her nose and out through her mouth.  She concentrated on the sounds around her; the deep rumble of Diggle’s voice as he spoke to QC security and the low murmur that was distinctively Oliver’s which caused a different type of butterfly to start dancing in her stomach.  She kept her eyes closed a moment longer, until shouting outside had her snapping them open. 

On the portico outside QC, just to the right of the dais, there was a scuffle as Starling City police wrestled a man to the ground.  Felicity turned to Diggle who immediately engaged with his security officers outside through the communications unit he wore.  Diggle looked at her, his eyes reassuring as he nodded at her.  He listened intently for a moment longer.

“Copy all.  Secure the entrance to the press conference.  If reporters can’t be here on time, they don’t get in.  We are already past the deadline for arrivals.  No more exceptions.” 

“Who was he?” Felicity asked, instinctively knowing the man was completely unrelated to her kidnappers.  He was too obvious.  If they wanted her again, they would come in with stealth, dressed in all black except for the small red, insignia on their jackets just above their hearts.  She frowned at the sudden memory and tried to capture the image in her mind but as quickly as the memory came, it escaped again. 

“What is it?” Oliver asked, seeing her frown.  She looked up at him, but was not quite back in the moment as she attempted to hold onto the memory.  She shook her head.

“Nothing. Just a memory...it’s nothing,” Felicity replied making a mental note to tell the Green Arrow.  _A mental note, yeah right. I’ll be lucky that I’m not completely mental by the time this circus is over._  

“You’re sure?” Diggle asked and at her nod, he answered her previous question.

“The man was a religious zealot intent on saving you,” Diggle said, his mouth suddenly twitching at the corners.  He held his smile back as he watched Felicity tilt her head to the side in her trademark move that told him she was studying him carefully while her mind moved at a speed he couldn’t even begin to fathom.

“From what exactly?” she asked, essentially telling him she eliminated every rational possibility as it related to her kidnapping.  _She never considers the irrational_ , Diggle thought as his smile escaped, _she needs to work on that._

“From, and I quote, ‘the corrupt and evil influence of big business’ and,” Diggle paused as one of his men walked in and handed him what appeared to be a scrap of paper torn from a newspaper, “the ‘carnal and sinful desires of an infectious disease’ known as Oliver Queen.” 

Diggle held out the newspaper.  Felicity looked down at it, and snorted.  It was a picture of her and Oliver from the night she evaded the three men who pretended to be press.  Just as Oliver predicted, the moment he touched her shoulder and they looked at each other, cameras captured their images at several different angles and published the resulting photographs on the front page of every newspaper in and outside the city.  Only, this particular picture was altered and Oliver appeared to have grown horns as well as multiple sores all over his face.  Meanwhile, a halo had been drawn over Felicity’s head. 

“Jesus,” Oliver muttered looking over Felicity’s shoulder at the picture.  He shoved his hands in his pocket and scowled at Felicity and Diggle. 

His outrage amused Felicity and she couldn’t help the laughter bubbling up inside her.  Once she started laughing, she couldn’t stop.  It was more than the picture and Oliver’s reaction to it, it was nerves.  Her fear and trepidation at facing the press needed an outlet and her amusement provided the perfect vehicle.  She felt the slight stirrings of hysteria and knew she needed to get some control as she laughed until tears threatened to destroy her carefully applied mascara.

“I know it’s not that funny,” she tried to explain over her laughter.  “It’s just that the press, some random religious zealot, the press, and the gossip over this picture...I mean.”  She couldn’t continue, just gestured with her hands and kept laughing.

“Oh no, it’s pretty damn funny,” Diggle disagreed in his deadpan manner and Oliver glared at him.  This just set Felicity off even more.  She rested a hand on Oliver’s arm as her laughter trailed off.  She looked up at him, smiling and Oliver’s face softened as he ruefully smiled back.  She didn’t look quite as nervous as she did before, but Oliver was certain she still had the urge to throw up.

Another security guard came in and motioned to Diggle.  He left Felicity and Oliver, taking the ripped newspaper photograph with him.  Oliver’s gaze swept over Felicity’s face, seeing the lingering amusement and the panic she was trying to keep in check.  He wondered what she thought of the picture.  The gossip generated by the picture was just that, gossip.  And while Oliver wished some of it was true, it was all fabricated.  Despite his increasing interest in Felicity, he knew that not only was she not ready for what a relationship with him would entail, but neither could he pursue her until he was willing to share _everything_ with her, including the fact he was the Green Arrow.  Yet, he wasn’t entirely selfless.  He stole whatever moments he could; deepening their connection despite knowing it was unfair. 

“I’m sorry about that,” Oliver finally said as Felicity quickly wiped under her eyes.  An employee from the public relations department approached with a compact and powder brush in one hand.  Felicity shook her head and the woman backed away.

“Oliver, how is that picture and any of the gossip your fault? Unless you want to tell me you started the gossip, you don’t ow me an apology,” Felicity replied, knowing he was talking about the picture and the stories it stirred up in the public.  “Sadly, I’ve grown used to the press speculating about me.  It was nice to see it changed up for a bit.  Instead of “poor girl survives unimaginable horrors” it became “poor girl uses pity to nab Starling City’s most eligible bachelor.”  She shrugged, turning away to hide the hurt she was certain Oliver could see in her eyes. 

There was humor in her statement mixed with disgust towards the press; yet there was also a hint of sadness.  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why.  The picture fueled the gossips until QC announced the press conference.  While the press’ attention was turned, gossip was not.  Every angle of the photograph captured by reporters was splashed across every tabloid and gossip website.  Despite the grainy quality, it was undeniably intimate.  The moment Oliver saw the photograph in the copy of the Starling City Gazette a disapproving Moira handed him; he knew the gossips were going to have a field day.  And they did.  While he received winks from men inviting smiles from women, Felicity was vilified; she was either sleeping with him to get ahead in the company or looking to get pregnant to trap him in marriage.  Felicity rubbed the back of her neck and  Oliver watched as tension crept up her spine as she observed the waiting crowd.  She was more than nervous, she was frightened.  Yet she stood there, ready to face the vultures.  He couldn’t help the surge of admiration that pulsed within him anymore than he could help moving forward to stand close behind her, gently laying his hands on her shoulder in support.  

Felicity swallowed hard as she pushed memories of co-workers eyeing her speculatively after the picture appeared in the paper.  She couldn’t deal with that now.  _Later_ , she promised herself, _I will wallow in self-pity, again, for exactly five minutes. Later._   Her gaze swept the crowd assembled for her press conference.  Despite Diggle closing admittance, it was still much larger than she expected.  Nausea curled once again as the butterflies returned to increase their wild dance in her stomach.  Felicity blinked rapidly at the sudden press of tears as she watched the reporters jostle for prime positions in the front row.  She would do this.  She would not back out.  She was not a coward.  _She wasn’t._  

Warm hands came to rest gently on her shoulder and the scent of summer after a wild storm assailed her senses.  Felicity instinctively took a step back and his hands tightened briefly in response, pulling her just a bit closer.  She could feel the warmth of his chest as he brushed up against her and she let herself lean ever so slightly against him.  Her fear slowly abated as she basked in his heat.  She didn’t care what anyone thought in this very minute.  She _needed_ this. At one time, she would have worried at how quickly she found his presence to be as steady and reassuring as say, the Green Arrow.  Yet, in the aftermath of her kidnapping, it was the only thing that made sense in her crazy, new life.  Since that day in his office, Felicity never made the mistake of not _seeing_ Oliver Queen.  There were so many facets to this man; many she suspected were formed during his time on the island. Yet, he worked hard to hide them all.  There was strength of character that he hid beneath his carefree, playboy smiles and an astute mind that he buried beneath mocking, self-deprecation.  While she made sure to never fail to see him again, that didn’t stop Oliver from occasionally using his public persona around her.  The first time she called him out on it, he stared at her in surprise.  Then he smiled this slow wicked smile that caused a blush to burn across her cheeks.  He stopped pretending and soon enough, there was an intimacy between them palpable to everyone who came across them. 

Felicity attempted to keep some type of distance, but it became increasingly difficult.  There was something tangible between them that went beyond friendship.  While Oliver was always a gentleman, Felicity did not miss the way his eyes would linger on her lips, or how he was slow to move a hand or arm away when touching her.  Yet, he never made a move.  She was grateful and frustrated at the same time.  She wasn’t sure she was ready to be involved with anyone.  More importantly, she also knew that she often felt the same way when she was with the Green Arrow.  It confused her and so she put it to the side, not ready to really delve into what all of it meant.

“Are you okay?” his voice rumbled in her ear, his breath warm against her neck.  She could hear the concern in his tone although he kept his voice lowered so no one around them could hear.  She knew he wasn’t asking about the picture or the gossip. 

“Yes,” she lied, pressing her hand harder into her stomach as her stomach dipped.  Only this time, she wasn’t sure if it was in response to the press crowding outside, or Oliver’s proximity.

“Really?”

Amusement now and Felicity felt her lips quirk in response.  She was a terrible liar. 

“Don’t I look okay?”

“You look like you’re going to hack,” Oliver observed.

“That’s because I feel like I’m about to hack,” she promptly replied, turning her head to look up at him, not ashamed that her fear would be visible to him.

“Trash can is over there,” Oliver indicated with a thumb behind him before returning his hand to rest on her shoulder.  Felicity smiled in appreciation at his humor, but it faded as quickly as it appeared.  Oliver turned her to face him, still cupping her shoulders.  His eyes were soft as they gazed at her, filled with warmth and something else.  Something Felicity wasn’t quite ready to define.

“Hey. You’re going to be great.”

Felicity nodded, not convinced.  She looked up at him and then around the lobby.  Diggle stood by the doors, waiting for the go signal from the director of QC’s public relations.  He gave her an encouraging smile when their eyes met.  She looked back out over the crowd, fear hammering at her.  There was one person she wanted to see very badly right now but she knew it was impossible.  Oddly, she didn’t feel less safe knowing he was probably not out there; far from it.  In fact, Oliver quickly proved over and over during the planning stages of this press conference that he knew a thing or two about security.  She looked back up at Oliver, conscious of how he still held her shoulders. 

“Would it be very cowardly of me if I were to cancel?” she whispered, not quite looking him in the eye.  She was ashamed at how afraid she sounded and that the idea of canceling at the last minute actually occurred to her.  While her therapist reminded her repeatedly in the last few days that fear was part of the natural progression in healing, she still could not help the shame she felt at the emotion.  She had never been afraid of anything in her entire life.  It was a foreign feeling, and while she was determined to conquer it, there were moments, like right now, when she wanted to just surrender to it.

“Felicity,” he said and waited for her to look up at him.  When she did, he captured her gaze with his own.

“You are not a coward.  Do you hear me? You are not a coward.  I’ve seen a lot in the five years since I’ve been back in Starling City.  More during my time on that cursed island.  And I’ve never, ever, met anyone as brave as you in spite of your fear.  If you want to cancel, I’ll march right out there and tell them all to go fuck themselves.”

Felicity stared at Oliver, caught up in the intensity of his words and the way he stared down at her.  His eyes were bright, as if lit from within, and the searing blue burned away her fear and fed her own dwindling source of strength.  This was a man ready to slay dragons for her and the force of declaration left no room for doubt that he would protect her with his very life.  This was a side to him she’d not seen before and his willingness to protect her frightened her on an emotional level and confused her.  This protective side of him was so familiar, and she felt not only safe but _treasured_.  She frowned, feeling like she was missing something; something very important.

“Tell me what to you want me to do, Felicity, and it’s done.”

Before she could respond, or put her finger on what it was she was missing, another voice interrupted. 

“Oliver?” Moira called walking towards them from the private elevators.  Oliver and Felicity jumped apart and Felicity felt a blush form on her cheeks.  She looked up at Oliver, startled to find that he too was blushing.  He brushed a finger over her cheek in a familiar gesture and Felicity gifted him with a small smile.  Looking over his shoulders she met Moira’s cold stare.  Smile fading, she nodded in greeting before turning away, her hand pressed to where Oliver had stroked her cheek, to stare back across the crowd.  Her mind drifted, shifting and moving pieces around the table, attempting to piece together an increasingly difficult puzzle.  She was missing something.

“Mom,” Oliver said, kissing the cheek she offered.  “What brings you down here?”

“I’ve been trying to reach you.  Do you not have your phone?  Never mind.  I need you in a phone conference with Mr. Cheung regarding that potential acquisition we’ve been discussing this past week,” Moira turned to head back to the elevator, expecting Oliver to fall in step beside her.  She paused when she realized Oliver hadn’t moved.

“Oliver? Are you coming?” 

Oliver frowned, glancing at his watch.  It was nearly five in the morning in China. 

“Can it wait? We are about to head into Felicity’s press conference.”

At the mention of her name, Felicity glanced over her shoulder at Oliver and Moira.  In that split second, Felicity glimpsed a hint of panic in Moira’s expression before it was smoothly covered over.

“No Oliver, it can’t wait.  So, if you will join me,” Moira replied, holding her arm out in the direction of the elevators. Still frowning, Oliver stepped closer to his mother. There was something disturbing Moira and it wasn’t the phone conference.

“What’s going on, Mom?  Is it Thea?” he asked, keeping his voice low.  He was very aware of Felicity and Diggle picking up on the undercurrent between him and his mother.

“I’m not sure I understand your question, Oliver. Thea is just fine, probably on her way home from school right now.  You, however, are needed for this phone conference.”

“No, I’m not.  And if I am, I’m sure we could delay for a few hours.  If you explain I had a prior engagement that could not be cancelled, Mr. Cheung would understand.  This press conference is just as important.”

Oliver turned back towards Felicity but Moira reached out and grabbed his arm.

“Oliver—”

The desperation in her voice caused the hair on the back of Oliver’s neck to stir.  He turned slowly just as Diggle and Felicity moved to stand by his side, both of them having caught the undercurrent in Moira’s tone.  None of them realized the picture of unity they made as they faced Moira; however, the image was not lost on her.  She took a step back, smiling carefully.

“Of course.  I’ll let Mr. Cheung know you were unavailable.”

Nodding good-bye, Moira quickly headed back to the executive elevators. As soon as she was out of sight, Moira pulled out her phone, quickly dialing.

“Yes?”

“Call it off. Whatever you have planned, call it off.”

“No.”

“Goddammit, call it off! Oliver will be out there with her!”   

“I told you to take care of that when Miss Smoak first appeared with Mr. Diggle.”

“You will call it off.  Now. If my son is harmed because of your refusal to do something so simple as to rearrange your plan, you will regret it.  Do _you_ understand _me_?”

The click in Moira’s ear told her she was on her own.  She took a few steps back into the lobby and saw that Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity were preparing to head out onto the dais.  She studied Oliver and Felicity; her son tall and handsome, towering over Felicity who appeared so delicate beside him.  Her blonde hair glinted in the sunlight that filtered in through the overhead skylights, the strands pulled back into a sleek pony on the back of her head.  She was nodding her head at whatever it was Oliver was telling her, the intensity between them apparent even from this distance.  There was a core of steel there, Moira was forced to admit and she could not help but admire Felicity in this moment.  The girl was utterly terrified yet she was not surrendering to that fear.  On the contrary, she was facing it with a measure of strength that Moira could not help but respect.  In other circumstances, Moira thought, she might like Felicity very much.

Moira focused her attention on Oliver, considering what she was really seeing.  There was something about him recently.  An air of renewed purpose that was bringing her son back to life in a way she had not seen since he returned home.  Moira was forced to admit that it somehow began with Felicity.  Old suspicions swirled in Moira’s mind as she contemplated her son.  The alert way he held himself, his head turning to sweep over the area as he led Felicity out to the dais spoke of man who saw danger everywhere.  To this day, Moira had no idea what Oliver endured while was presumed dead, but she always suspected he wasn’t alone on that island. 

Moira found herself in a conundrum.  The threat over her family was very real; but this went beyond what they all agreed to.  While she did not doubt that somehow Felicity Smoak was a threat to all of their plans, she began to question the chosen approach in dealing with the threat.  As for Oliver, Moira was beginning to wonder if he didn’t pose his own threat.  It didn’t matter though.  He was her son.  She stared down at her phone.  It was too late to stop them from going out.  Even now, Mr. Diggle was climbing the steps with Felicity and Oliver following.  Biting her lip, Moira made her decision.  Blocking her phone number, she sent a text to a reporter she knew would be in the front row.  It was a sloppy way to disrupt the press conference, but she suspected it would be enough to thwart whatever plan was in place to remove Felicity Smoak.

* * *

 

It was incredibly surreal.  As soon as the doors opened, silence descended on the crowd.  It was broken only by cameras clicking rapidly, capturing Felicity’s image as soon as the press glimpsed her climbing the steps to the dais behind Diggle, followed closely by Oliver.  As she walked, time seemed to slow and every sound was separated and echoed loudly in her ears.  The sharp click of her heels pounded in time with her heartbeat, the swishing of her skirt around her legs whispered in her ears.  She could feel the heavy beats of Oliver and Diggle’s footsteps in her stomach, like base drums in a marching parade.  She swallowed, hearing the sound deep within her.

Felicity kept her eyes on the podium afraid that if she looked at the press, she would break and run for cover. _Or vomit,_ she thought randomly and suddenly wanted to giggle.  _God, don’t lose it now, Smoak.  You can do this._   Cameras whirred non-stop as Felicity stepped up to the podium.  A copy of her statement lay before her, yet the words blurred before her.   She gripped the sides of the podium, staring at the page in front of her.  She couldn’t see the words.  The weight of a hundred pairs of eyes staring at her lay heavily on her shoulders, waiting for her to speak.  She couldn’t see the words.  She blinked rapidly but the words remained blurry.  Felicity looked up across the crowd and could practically feel everyone inhaling in anticipation.  She watched as a bird took off from one of the trees that bordered the steps leading up to QC.  It flew lazily across the crowd before disappearing behind another building.  Felicity looked back down at her statement but the words remained a blur.  If only she could fly away as easily as the bird.

Oliver watched as Felicity struggled to begin.  While she looked completely composed, he could feel her fear.  He recognized it, understood it, and in that moment knew she needed a boost.  He could not go to her side; the press would have a field day if he were to approach her.  Instead, he adjusted his stance, angling his body towards her and he let his eyes rest on her, staring intently. _I’m here,_ he mentally told her, _I’m here._  

It felt like minutes, but that small rational side of her that didn’t quite disappear assured her it had only been a few seconds.  She kept her gaze down and dug deep.  In that moment, she suddenly felt the weight of Oliver’s stare, the intensity of his presence, lending her strength and courage where she feared she had none.  It was all around her, replacing the silence.  She tilted her head to the side in silent acknowledgment, and then looked down at her statement.  She could see the words were there.  She cleared her throat and began to speak. 

“Nearly four weeks ago, I was rescued after being held captive for almost two months.  I do not know why I was taken or who my kidnappers are, I can only tell you that it was an incredibly traumatic experience from which I remain in recovery.  While I know you are all incredibly curious regarding my ordeal, I’m sure you also understand that to discuss the matter while it remains under investigation by the Starling City Police Department is to compromise the integrity of that investigation as well as to interfere.  The good wishes of Starling City for my recovery are overwhelming and I appreciate all of your support.  I am new to this city but you have all made me feel a part of your community.” 

Felicity paused a moment, and then went off-script, carefully choosing her words.  This was equally important and something she had not discussed with Oliver.  She never talked about the Green Arrow.  Oddly enough, Oliver never asked about him despite knowing the Green Arrow was her rescuer.  It was generally the first thing everyone asked her when meeting her for the first time.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Green Arrow.  He saved my life.  Had he not found me, I very likely would still be a hostage, or even worse, dead.  He gave me this second chance and I can never repay him.  I know you have questions about my interactions with him, but I can’t answer them.  I do not know who he is or what he looks like beneath his mask.  I have never been able to thank him to his face which is why I’m taking this opportunity to let him know how grateful I am.”

Oliver jerked in surprise.  This was unexpected and not entirely accurate.  He puzzled over her words, remembering the time she had thanked him and suddenly he realized her choice of words was purposeful.  She didn’t quite lie; it was more of an equivocation.  She did thank him, but he wore a mask and hood so it wasn’t really “to his face.”  Her simple public appreciation of the Green Arrow classified her as just another grateful victim, and the press would believe she had nothing more to offer on the Green Arrow thus, eliminating another one of the many things they wanted to question her about.  _Clever_ , he thought, _very_ _clever_.

“Again, thank you all for your well wishes and thank you for your respect of my privacy as I move on from this ordeal.” 

Felicity stared across the crowd, feeling the energy building as the reporters prepared to shout their questions.  Of course they would ask their questions, it did not matter that they were told she would be taking no questions.  This was the closest the press was going to get and they seized the opportunity.  Amidst the barrage of questions, Felicity took a step back and turned toward Oliver.  Just as she was about to start walking, a reporter in the front row took advantage of a slight lull in the voices clamoring for her attention and shouted a question. 

“Miss Smoak, is it true that you are sleeping with Oliver Queen?”

Silence.  Then a rush of air swept the reporters as they turned as one to await her response.  Felicity stumbled to a halt, utterly horrified.  She looked up at Oliver who was staring at the reporter with a thunderous gaze.  The set of his mouth was harsh as he took a single step forward, the tic in his cheek telling her Oliver was beyond angry.  Felicity stepped back and began turning to the reporter, hoping to avoid a scene that would simply feed the gossips.  Just as she turned, something hot and fast burned past her and the pillar behind her seemed to explode, showering concrete chips all around her.  Before she could react, she was on the ground with a very heavy Oliver on top of her just as another bullet slammed into the glass of the lobby, shattering it on contact.  Oliver rolled with her to the edge of the dais, taking them over the edge but making sure that she landed on him before rolling them over again to cover her completely with his body.   

 _I’m being shot at,_ Felicity thought; _someone is actually shooting at me._ Oliver was yelling in her ear over the noise of the crowd but she couldn’t hear him, her gaze was fixated on the pillar now sporting the scar of a bullet’s hit.  _That was supposed to be my head_ , she thought numbly.  _Someone shot at me.  Twice._   A hand gently slapped her cheeks and she turned startled eyes to meet Oliver’s.  Whatever he saw in her gaze had his face going cold, but his hand remained gentle as he rubbed a thumb over the scrape on her cheek.  The screams of the crowd finally penetrated Felicity’s shock and she blinked rapidly.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” she said and struggled to get out from under Oliver.

“Stay still,” he ordered into her ear.  His voice was flat and hard, an edge in it she only ever heard from the man in green.  She stared up at Oliver, confused, but his gaze was directed out towards the dais.  Felicity managed to turn her head to follow his stare and was just able to make out Diggle, still on the dais and widely exposed to any other shots.  Diggle turned back to them and shook his head.  He made a motion to the lobby and Oliver nodded.

Oliver slowly raised himself into a crouch, keeping one hand on her shoulder, pressing down.  Felicity didn’t move.  Oliver turned on his feet, still squatting low, his body a wide target.  Whatever he saw satisfied him and he rose further, pulling her up with him.  Tucking her to his side, he made his way to the lobby, surrounded by QC security.  He took her behind the executive elevators into the security office.

Oliver moved her to a chair and pushed on her shoulder so that she would down.  She obeyed numbly.  Oliver turned to one of the security guards and took his communications unit.  She could hear him talking to someone but couldn’t _hear_ what he was saying.  Screams still filled her head and the sound of the first bullet striking the pillar seemed to be playing on repeat.  She looked down at her hands, seeing blood.  Shuddering, she clasped them together to hide the sight, wondering if she’d been shot.  She didn’t feel any pain.  _Whose blood is this?_

“One shooter, from across the street.  Starling City police he identified himself as a cop and presented credentials.  Claim the creds out so they let him in.  Told them he was doing another sweep of the roof in response to a potential threat,” Diggle said as he walked in the door. Oliver put his communication unit down.

“Fuck, Diggle.  Don’t Starling City Police recognize one of their own?”

Diggle shook his head, and looked over at Felicity.  He motioned to one of the men to hand him a bottle of water.  Crouching down in front of Felicity, he put a hand on her shoulder.  She didn’t move, just stared down at her clasped hands. 

“Felicity?  Felicity?” he said, trying to get her attention.  She raised dull eyes to his face, seeing the worry. It took her a moment to remember the word she needed to say.

“I’m okay,” she finally mumbled.  “I’m okay.”

Concerned, Diggle tried to put the water into her hands to get her to drink, but she wouldn’t unclasp them. 

“I can’t,” Felicity said calmly.  “There’s blood on them.”

At her words, Oliver sprang to her side, kneeling beside her.

“Are you hit? Where are you hit? Felicity, are you hit?” he said frantically, searching her with his eyes.  He saw blood on her the shoulder of her dress, near her left shoulder.  He gently lifted the fabric from her shoulder but she didn’t wince.

“No, I’m fine. It’s not my blood. I don’t know whose it is.”

Felicity looked at Diggle and Oliver in confusion and then her eyes widened.  She jumped up, surprising both men into rising to their feet in unison.  Both started to look around the room for a threat.

“God, Oliver, I think you’re shot!” she exclaimed, her hand going to his left arm.  Oliver looked at where she was touching him.  Pain registered and he realized she was right.  He frowned, shrugging out of his suit jacket, wincing slightly at the pain.  Diggle ripped the sleeve of Oliver’s shirt more to look at the wound.

“Just a scrape.  Second bullet must have grazed you,” Diggle said, slapping him on the back.  Oliver nodded in agreement and stood still as Diggle used the bottom half of Oliver’s dress shirt as a makeshift bandage.

“Paramedics are on the way.  They can clean and bandage this on site,” Diggle said.

“It’s fine. I’ve had worse,” Oliver remarked before turning his attention back to Felicity.  She stood there staring incredulously at the two of them.

“You’ve been shot,” she began and Oliver shook his head.

“Just grazed,” he corrected, “I’m fine.” 

“By a bullet, you idiot.”

Diggle smothered a laugh and Felicity glared at him.

“I’m fine. I’ve had worse,” Oliver assured her again, relieved to see this burst of spirit from her.  The dullness in her voice earlier brought back memories of when he first found her curled in a ball in that cell.

Before Felicity could respond, Moira rushed into the security office.  She made a beeline to Oliver, quickly noting the makeshift bandage.

“Are you alright, Oliver?” she asked, her hand lightly touching Oliver’s arm.

“Fine, Mom. I’m fine.”

“He was shot. By a bullet. Meant for me.  He should see a doctor, but nnnoooo, Mr. Macho here says it’s just a scrape,” Felicity blurted out and Moira turned to face her. 

There was a small scrape on Felicity’s cheekbone and strands of hair had been pulled from her ponytail.  Her dark green dress was ripped at the hem and she was missing one shoe.  Yet she stood there, glaring at Oliver, angry that he was hurt despite the fact she was the real target.  Moira pushed down on the admiration that welled inside her for this woman. Instead, she focused on what was important; her son, and keeping him safe from the suspicions of the Cadre.

“Yes, a bullet meant for you.  You put my son in danger by your insistence he be by your side.”

Moira’s voice was scathing, a condemnation of Felicity in its tone and in her expression.  Felicity’s gaze flew to Moira’s and what she saw had her stumbling back to put space between her and Moira. Neither Oliver nor Diggle hesitated; they immediately flanked Felicity in response to what was essentially another attack on Felicity.  Diggle motioned to the remaining security guards in the room and they quickly left.

“Mom,” Oliver began but Moira ignored him, keeping her gaze on Felicity.

“My son is not your personal bodyguard.  He would not have been out there if not for you.  Now that this farce of a press conference is over, and the press once again has a salacious story involving my family to bite their teeth into, I hope you remember your place at this company. You are an employee. That. Is. All.”

Felicity steadily held Moira’s gaze, instinctively knowing that to look away would make her appear weak.  And she was not weak.  She was strong.  Tensions filled the room as neither woman backed down.  Felicity wasn’t sure what she was doing.  She only knew that to let this woman talk to her as if she was nothing was to betray something inside her that was just starting to heal.

“Mom! Your anger is misdirected,” Oliver said angrily, struggling to reign in his temper.  This was his mother; of course she was worried about him.  But even for her, this was going too far.  The back of Oliver’s neck was itching; telling him there was something here he wasn’t quite aware of and he instinctively knew it had to do with his mother.

“It’s not her fault.  She did not ask for this,” he continued.  Moira gave him a look of pity and he felt the grasp on his temper slip a notch.

“Don’t be naïve.  She’s a target, Oliver,” Moira said, not taking her gaze off of Felicity.  “The people who took her obviously want her out of the picture.  That makes her unsafe.”

“I haven’t been naïve since the day I washed ashore that damn island in a raft with the body of my father as company,” he said sharply.  Felicity inhaled sharply and looked up at Oliver.  She wanted to reach out and touch him, comfort him.  His words, while angrily delivered, were filled with a deep pain that was still raw and ugly despite the passage of time.

“Your father would agree with me _completely_ on this matter,” Moira said, equally angry.  “This situation, her kidnapping, is none of your business, Oliver.  She is nobody, an employee, nothing else.”

Felicity stirred at Moira’s choice of words.  She was not a nobody.  Nor was she one to be the cause of a fight between Oliver and Moira Queen.  She was tired, scared, and still in shock that someone tried to kill her.  The last thing Felicity needed right now was to be condemned by Moira because while she was wrong in some respects, she was right about one thing.  This was her fault.  She didn’t need anyone to tell her that; she knew that from the moment the first bullet hit the pillar.  This was her fault. 

 _I can’t take this anymore.  I’m done._ Decision made, Felicity attempted to leave, but forgot she was missing a shoe.  She would have hit the floor if not for Diggle’s quick reflexes.  She sighed at her clumsiness but then moved around Diggle to head for the door behind Moira.  No way was Felicity getting anywhere near Moira.

“Felicity, don’t even think about leaving,” Oliver ordered as she approached the door.  His tone just ratcheted up her resolve.  Felicity turned to face Oliver and his mother.  Oliver was visibly angry but there was concern in his eyes as he looked at her.  Moira, on the other hand, simply appeared angry.  Only, Felicity saw there was nothing simple about her anger as she met Moira’s stare with another one of her own.  There was concern for Oliver as well as a glimmer of remorse for something unidentifiable.  Felicity was too tired to sort through the complicated strands of Moira’s outrage.  She needed to get out of here.

“Your mother is right.  You were shot because of me,” Felicity began, her words low.  There was a bite in her voice, one he’d never heard before.  Her next words were directed at Moira.

“I’ve been responsible for myself for a very long time.  Do you think I don’t know that this is my fault? Please.  Don’t lecture me on responsibility.  Oliver has been incredibly kind and gracious, offering me support in a way no one else can.  He understands exactly what I’m going through.  I would think you would be extremely proud you raised a son who reaches out to help a “nobody” get her life back.”

Oliver’s eyebrows rose at Felicity’s gentle, yet pointed rebuke of his mother.  From the flush that spread across Moira’s face, he knew the lecture on manners was not lost on her.  Felicity didn’t raise her voice, nor did she hesitate in her words.  Simple, straight-forward and delivered in an even tone, her message was clear.  _Back off_. He hid a smile.  Felicity never failed to surprise him.  His smile quickly faded as Felicity turned to leave again.

“Felicity! Don’t you walk out that door,” Oliver said again striding towards her.  She glared at him.

“Oliver, technically you are my boss at some level but not in this. I’m leaving.”

“You cannot go out there alone.  Someone just tried to kill you.”

Felicity just barely restrained from stomping her foot in frustration.

“Oliver, I’m leaving. Everyone knows what hotel I am staying at, so honestly, I’m surprised _they_ waited this long to make an attempt.  Poor planning on their part, if you ask me. And stupid.  God, why are mastermind criminals so stupid?  I, on the other hand, am a genius.  Like no kidding, IQ scale genius.  I could plan my own assassination so much better.”

Recognizing she was babbling, Felicity stopped talking.  There was an expression on Moira’s face that hinted at amusement. She opened the door but Diggle’s calm voice stopped her.

“You need security, Felicity,” Diggle said from where he leaned against the wall.  “Whether you like it or not, you are a target.  Don’t make yourself an easy one.”

Felicity closed the door and leaned her forehead against it.  God help her, he was right.  She wanted to scream in frustration.  To hit something, throw something, anything.  She needed to get out of here, to get away from Moira.  She needed to get out of here before she completely broke down in front of everyone and bawled like a baby.  She wanted to be alone so no one would see how weak she truly remained.

Oliver knew that Felicity was at her limit.  From the rigid way she held herself and the way her mouth trembled just enough for him to see, Oliver knew it was only a matter of time before she broke.  He also knew that she wasn’t ready to break down in front of him or Diggle let alone his mother.

“Take her back to the hotel, Diggle, and arrange for private security to stay at the hotel until she moves into her new place,” Oliver said.  His mother stirred but he shut her down with a single look.  Oliver joined Felicity at the door, standing close enough that she felt the heat of his body.  He didn’t care what his mother thought; it only mattered that Felicity understood that he was here for her, that she mattered.

“You will be okay,” he said, his voice for her ears only.  She nodded unconvincingly.  He cupped her cheek gently and her eyes widened at the display he was making in front of his mother.

“You will be okay,” he said more forcefully.  “And don’t every say refer to yourself as a nobody. Ever. You are not nobody.” 

A sense of déjà vu swept over Felicity as Oliver’s words played through her mind.  She tried to grasp onto whatever memory it was stirring but couldn’t place it.  The expression in his eyes, the softness of how they looked at her, the set of his mouth; all of it jumbled into her mind, adding more pieces to the puzzle that was Oliver Queen.  Diggle opened the door for her and she numbly walked out.  The door shut, cutting off the argument that was ensuing between Oliver and his mother.

“I didn’t mean to cause that,” Felicity whispered, tiredly, and went to rub at the headache forming.  She stopped as she realized she still had Oliver’s blood on her hands.  Noting the movement and guessing at its cause, Diggle handed her the bottle of water he tried to give her earlier.  Smiling gratefully, Felicity quickly took a drink.

“It’s not your fault, Felicity.”

She didn’t say anything, just shrugged, and swayed on her feet.

“The police are going to want to talk to you,” Diggle said and she laughed bitterly.

“Look around you, Diggle, what police?”

Diggle looked around and other than the paramedics making their way towards them, she was right.  _Damn_ , he thought, _looks like Felicity’s suspicion about the police being involved in her kidnaping was correct._  

“Let’s get you back to the hotel,” he said gently and took her arm.  “I’m going provided you two guards until you move into your new place.”

Felicity nodded in weary acceptance.  This was her new normal.

“I’m designing a security system for my condo,” she shared as they walked toward the car.  “That should eliminate the need for guards.  But I need someone besides the police to be alerted should the alarm trip.”

Diggle heard the question she wasn’t asking.

“Me.  I’m your someone,” Diggle said immediately.  Felicity’s eyes filled with tears and she quickly looked away, nodding her head in acknowledgment.

“Is being shot at part of my new normal, Diggle?”

“It appears to be. For now.”

 _So honest_ , she thought as she was getting into the car.  And that reminded her.  She stopped, turning back to Diggle.

“Diggle? May I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“Do you know the Green Arrow?”

It was completely unexpected and Diggle didn’t have time to hide his reaction to her question.  A knowing look came into her eyes and she didn’t wait for a response, just smiled and slipped into the car.  Diggle shut the door and leaned against it before making his way to the other side.  She was smart and Diggle was beginning to think that her intellect was what made her a target.

* * *

 

Moira quickly smoothed her hair with one hand before opening the door to the meeting site.  Assuming a placid expression, she walked in to find that she was only the second to arrive.  She moved to her place at the circular table, settling in her seat.

“Good evening, Malcolm,” she greeted.

“Moira.”

His glance was less than friendly yet Moira refused to be cowed. This was her son.  There was no way she was going to simply roll over if any of her children were somehow threatened.  She raised a brow and waited him out.

“You were specifically told—” Malcolm began and Moira mentally gave herself the win.

“My son was out there,” Moira interrupted, relishing the fight to come.  She needed an outlet for this anger.  Anger at the situation, anger at the admiration she was beginning to feel for Felicity Smoak, and anger at Oliver for being too damn stubborn not to see what was right before his eyes.

“That was a problem you were specifically told to address several weeks ago,” Malcom reminded her.

“Oliver is an independent man and makes his own choices.  He is, as of yet, unaware of our mission.  Until he is brought into the fold, his choices do not make him an acceptable risk.  He is my _son_.”

“Your son is leading me to question whether his membership in the Cadre is in our best interest,” Isabel said as she took her place at the table.  “His fascination with this girl demonstrates a lack of good judgment.”

“Exactly how is that, Isabel? Because she’s not you?” Moira fired back.  “Yes, it’s reached my ears that Oliver’s rebuffed your offers of late working dinners.  Repeatedly.  In my opinion, that makes his judgment extremely sound.”

Isabel’s face flushed but before she could respond another member of the cadre joined the table.

“Oh, good. A cat fight.”

Conrad Prescott sprawled in his chair, a slick smile on his face.  Except for the slight tightening of her lips, his wife, Louise, gave no indication she heard him as she took her seat beside him.  Moira did not even deign to acknowledge his statement, simply dismissing him. If not for his trucking company, Prescott wouldn’t have a seat at the table.  He was, contrary to his own inflated sense of importance, not a player in their mission.

Another figure joined them at the table and Moira greeted him, ending any further discussion about Oliver.

“Jin, welcome back.  How was your flight?” she asked.

“Uneventful,” he replied, “unlike your press conference.”

“Which brings us to why we are all here,” Malcolm interrupted smoothly.  “Felicity Smoak.”

“Are the Kingstons not coming?” Isabel asked, noting their empty seats.

“No.  Elizabeth is unwell.”

There was a brief silence as each acknowledged what Malcom didn’t say.  Since their daughter, Gina, was discovered dead behind a club in the Glades, the Kingstons faltered at putting their lives back together.  Elizabeth was often medicated due to her grief, and Blair refused to leave her side when she was sedated. 

Moira looked at those present in turn and the irony of their gathering struck her.  Here, around the table, gathered four of Starling City’s finest families; the Merlyns, the Queens, the Prescotts, and, had they been present, the Kingstons.  Isabel and Jin represented their European and Pacific counterparts.  They were a diverse group who appeared to have nothing in common other than business and old family connections.  Yet each, in their own way, had a stake in their venture ranging from financial to the very personal.  It would only take one of them to destroy their mission and land everyone behind bars. It was amazing that they had not turned on each other yet.  

“Today’s attempt on Miss Smoak’s life failed,” Malcom began with a pointed look at Moira. 

“Do you have an explanation as to why we continue to pursue her? We learned nothing about what knowledge she may have on our mission.  Even after we encouraged her to reveal what she knew,” Conrad asked, leaning forward in his chair.

 _Encourage_ , thought Moira, _is that what we are calling torture these days?_  

“An explanation is forthcoming.  Additional information is being obtained even as we speak and will be shared once it is in our hands,” Malcolm said. 

“What about Lyla Michaels?  A.R.G.U.S. is not going to relent until they discover who we are and why we took her,” added Louise.

“No, but I have someone on the inside that will help with that matter.  So let’s return to issue of Felicity Smoak and discuss our next course of action.”

“Miss Smoak had a few interesting remarks about this attempt on her life,” Moira offered, pushing away that sliver of guilt pushing on her once again.  _Oliver and Thea_ , she reminded herself.  They were what mattered.

“Oh?” Malcolm asked. “I’m all ears.”

“After insulting the intelligence behind this particular plan,” Moira began with a sly look at Malcom, “Miss Smoak pointed out that everyone knew what hotel she was staying in and expressed surprised an attempt hadn’t been made on her life before now.”

“So?” Isabel asked.

“Really, dear,” Moira said in a patronizing tone.  “Do try to keep up.  Instead of such a public display, why not simply take her from the hotel?”

 Looks were exchanged and then as one, they all turned to Malcolm.  He nodded thoughtfully.

“I’ll pass this information along.  How helpful of Miss Smoak to assist us in her own demise.”

Moira reclined in her chair, once again ignoring the guilt that briefly swirled.  So long as she maintained her role on the Cadre, her family was safe.

It was late by the time their meeting adjourned and Moira left without talking to anybody.  Just as she was about to get in her car, Jin called her name.  She stopped and turned as he approached her.

"Your son, Oliver, is an honorable man,” he said, staring at her intently.  Before she could respond, he dipped his head and strode away.  He turned once more to look at her before stepping into his car. Moira watched as he drove away, contemplating the message she just received.  She needed to think about this very carefully before speaking to Oliver.

 

* * *

 

It was the first time she wasn’t on the balcony waiting for him.  He paused a moment, unsure of what he should do.  The line between his relationship with her as Oliver and as the Green Arrow was becoming increasingly blurry.  If he was Oliver, he would simply go inside her room and look for her.  He was pretty certain as the Green Arrow he would do the same.  Only it was becoming difficult to discern who he was right now, despite being dressed in green leather.  The room was shrouded in darkness, but he knew she was inside.  He could just barely see the top of her head as she sat on the floor on the other side of the room.  Her back was to him as she leaned against the bed, her attention seemingly focused on the door to her hotel room.  He entered her room, making just enough noise to let her know he was there.  She didn’t move.  She sat with her knees drawn up tightly to her chest, staring at the door.

“Felicity?”

His voice was garbled by the distorter and he itched to turn it off.  She didn’t respond; her eyes trained on the door.  He moved closer and touched her arm very gently, trying not to startle her.  As it were, he failed.  Felicity exploded in reaction, her eyes feral as she began hitting at his arms and chest.  She kicked her legs out, catching him in the shin, her hands curled into claws as she went for his face.  He grasped her wrists and when he saw her mouth open to scream, he flipped her around, bringing her back up against his chest and brought a hand over her mouth, regret spearing through him.  She tried to bite his hand and kept bucking and kicking to break his hold.

“Sssshhhh, it’s me.  It’s me. You’re safe. I promise, you’re safe.”

Oliver didn’t know which “me” he meant, but he didn’t care.  He repeated the words over and over until they penetrated the fog she was in and she slowly stilled.  He carefully removed his hand from her mouth and released her arms.  She turned in his arms, sitting on her heels. She was breathing heavily as she stared at him, eyes still slightly wild.  She tried to smile but failed.

“Why are you shushing me?  I didn’t say anything,” she whispered and then burst into tears.  Oliver didn’t hesitate.  He pulled her back into his arms, and leaned against the bed as he settled her in his lap, pulling her firmly into his embrace.  He hugged her tightly, sweeping one hand up and down her back, soothing her as best as he could.

His experience with crying women was limited to those who practiced the art of the single tear drop, or allowed tears to pool in their eyes but kept them from falling.  Felicity fell into neither of those categories.  The sobs coming from her were far from delicate; but instead, were harsh and ugly.  She wasn’t crying about today, although it was certainly the catalyst for her tears.  This was about everything that happened to her from the moment she was taken, her rescue, and the attempt on her life today.  Her tears came from deep within and the anguish in her sobbing broke something inside him.

Felicity curled into him, taking comfort in his presence. At this point, she couldn’t stop the tears even if she wanted to.  She bottled these tears for days, pushing them to the side, refusing to let them take the place of her fear.  Her therapist warned her that she needed to embrace all of the emotions she was feeling, but Felicity ignored her. She didn’t want to cry.  If she cried, that would make her weak and she wasn’t.  She wasn’t weak.  She wasn’t a coward.  She was strong. A survivor.

“You are not weak.  You are not a coward. I’ve seen a lot since taking up this hood and before I came back to Starling City and I’ve never met anyone as strong or as brave as you,” the Green Arrow said and Felicity realized that she was talking through her tears.  She turned her face into his shoulder and took deep shuddering breaths in an effort to quell her tears.  They kept coming and he kept whispering just cry, stroking her back and holding her close and so she just let the tears flow. 

In the end, the tears stopped on their own.  Slowly at first and then with a suddenness that had her taking one last gasping breath before settling completely into his embrace.  As she quieted, Oliver continued to hold her tightly, his cheek resting on her bent head.  She sighed, her fingers flexing into the leather of his jacket.

“I’m sorry,” she finally whispered, tilting her head back to peer up at him through wet lashes.  He gazed down, taking in the glimmer of her eyes through the last of her tears and the redness of her lips.  He shook his head, refusing her apology, and without thinking, he pressed a kiss to her forehead before moving her head back to his shoulder.  He shifted slightly, wincing at the pull in his left arm.  Felicity sighed, closing her eyes as she rested against him.  He hadn’t held her since the night he rescued her.  She didn’t realize how much she missed his embrace.

“You had a rough day,” was all he said.  She nodded, enjoying the feel of his arms around her.  An image of Oliver slid into her mind and guilt pricked at her.  _Ridiculous_ , she thought, but it wouldn’t go away.  Slowly, she moved out of the Green Arrow’s arms, noticing he was reluctant to release her.  She settled on the floor beside him, pressing her shoulder to his.

“Diggle tell you about it?” she asked, picking at a thread in her sweater.  She felt his start of surprise and she could almost see the wheels in his head spinning.

“Yes,” he said slowly, the word coming out more as a question than an answer.

“I’m sure it was all over the news, too.  I didn’t watch.  Couldn’t.”

“It was.  All over the news, that is.”

“I was never in any real danger,” she added thoughtfully, recalling the moment she hit the ground with Oliver pressing her down, using his body as a shield.

“No?”

She shook her head.  “It happened so fast.  Before I even registered it was a bullet, Oliver had me on the ground.  He protected me.  Ended up getting shot himself.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Oliver reminded her.  He mentally cautioned himself to be careful.  The line was so far blurred he wasn’t sure what side of it he currently stood on.  Anything he said next could reveal his identity and he wasn’t sure she was ready for that after everything that happened today.

“That’s what he said,” she murmured, resting her forehead on her knees. 

“What were you doing when I came in?” he asked, curious as to how she came to be sitting on the floor.  Felicity raised her head in confusion and understanding dawned.

“I remembered something about the men who took me,” she said, “how they burst into my home.  They had an insignia on their clothes; red, shaped like a serpent.  It was here,” she touched the left side of her chest, over her heart.

“And you were on the floor because?” Oliver prompted, filing away the information she just gave him.  Felicity swallowed, shame filling her expression.

“Hey.  It’s okay.”

“I think the memory triggered my fear of being taken again and I just thought if I stared at the door, I would be on guard, ready to take them out if they burst in again,” Felicity confessed, embarrassed at her reaction.

“You almost took me out,” Oliver remarked, rubbing at his shins.  Felicity laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder.

“Thank you,” she said after a moment of silence.

“For what?”

“For not pushing. For just being here.”

"Always,” Oliver said with feeling and Felicity could hear the truth even through the distorter.

They sat quietly together and Felicity could feel herself drifting off to sleep.  Exhaustion pulled at her and she didn’t attempt to fight it, nestling into the Green Arrow’s shoulder.  Dimly, she felt him pull her into his arms and gently place her in her bed.  She murmured incoherently, snuggling into her pillow.

Oliver pulled the blankets around her and sat on the edge of her bed, watching her sleep for a moment.  He smoothed a hand over her hair, his hand lingering on her cheek.  He bent forward, and nuzzled her neck with his nose before kissing her lightly on the cheek.  He couldn’t help himself.  He on dangerous ground, but he could not deny himself.  She smiled sleepily as her eyes fluttered open.

“Ssshhh, go back to sleep,” he whispered, his thumb brushing along the lift of her cheek, his fingers tangled in her hair.  The leather felt cool after her tears and she leaned into his hand.

“Always shushing me,” she whispered back as her eyes fluttered closed and he smiled.

Felicity listened as the Green Arrow picked up his bow and quiver.  His words to her tonight teased at her mind, pushing through her fog of sweep.  _I’ve never met anyone as strong as you_.  Wait, no that was Oliver.  Wait.   _You are not nobody. Don’t ever say that again._ That was Oliver. No...wait.  Her mind struggled to stay awake to sort through what her mind was trying to tell her, but she was so tired.  She let it slip away, surrendering to sleep.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and the Green Arrow reach a new understanding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone for their comments on the last chapter. If you follow the comments, you know that when I was uploading Chapter 5, I hit post without preview rather than preview and my draft was published. My intent was to rest my eyes and then come back for another run through. Instead, my email notifications were going nuts and I realized my error. Mistakes happen so I didn't pull the chapter down. In this case, though, my mistake was also my good fortune. I now have a beta! honorthedeadbyfighting was kind enough to offer and I completely took advantage! (Blows kisses your way!) 
> 
> Thank you again for your comments! Oh, and I'm sorry. You'll see why.

She woke instantly; eyes popping open, senses on full alert.  Felicity held herself still, keeping her breathing as even as possible.  She listened; straining her ears to hear what it was that woke her.  A siren sounded faintly in the distance, the thermostat clicked as it monitored the heat in the room, a burst of faint laughter from the rooftop bar; all normal sounds in the night.  It was this normal that stirred her senses, the type of quiet that told her something was wrong.  Keeping her head still, she looked at the clock. Just after midnight.  Two hours of sleep.   She strained to hear what it was that woke her, but there was nothing out of the ordinary.  She was about to sit up when a sound from outside the balcony had her freezing where she lay.  There!  A scraping sound, like something metal being dragged across stone or… _brick_.  The sound registered and Felicity’s eyes widened.   _Someone was climbing the side of the building.  And they weren’t very good at it._  As soon as she realized that someone was coming, her phone lit up like a Christmas tree and a small alarm pierced the silence.   She grabbed her phone off the bedside table, shutting the alarm off before the sound could be heard outside. Looking out to her balcony, she saw it was still empty.   _Now!  I need to move now._

Sliding under the covers to the opposite side of the bed, she rolled out onto the floor.  She quickly shoved the pillows under the blanket, hoping the dark would make it appear as if she were still in bed.  Looking down at what she was wearing, Felicity frowned.  The grey leggings and pink camisole were warm enough when covered in blankets, but if she had to leave the hotel, she would be at a disadvantage.  She saw one of her fleece jackets hanging over the arm of a chair by the door to the balcony; her running shoes peeked out from beneath the same chair.  Felicity tensed and prepared to crawl over to the chair to grab her jacket and shoes.  Taking a deep breath, she moved forward on her hands and knees from behind the bed.  She took a few crawling steps forward when she heard the scraping sound again, this time louder.   _They_ were getting closer.  Her heart was beating so hard it felt as if it would burst from her chest.  She could feel herself starting to gasp for breath.  She froze where she was, not moving forward, not moving backward.   _Don’t panic, don’t panic, don’t panic,_ she repeated over and over.   _MOVE!!!_ _MOVE NOW!_ Felicity pulled her fear in and locked it down.  She could not let fear control her.  Someone was coming.  

She looked at her jacked and shoes one last time before scrambling back behind the bed.  Staying low, Felicity moved over to the door.  Rising to the balls of her feet, still crouched low, Felicity reached up to unlock the hotel cross-bolt.  Her finger tips grazed the edge and she raised herself up a few inches more, pushing it open.  Grasping the handle, she heard the clink of metal on metal and knew that _they_ were about to come over the balcony.  She could not rush though.  She needed to get out without them knowing.  Quietly, she pulled the door open far enough for her to slide out.  As soon as the door closed behind her, she looked to wear the guard was supposed to be stationed and saw he was gone.   _Shit!_  She ran for the elevators, hitting the emergency number stored in her phone.  He answered immediately.  She heard the sound of an engine through the phone.

“Felicity?”

“Someone’s here,” she whispered, as she ran.  “The guard Diggle stationed outside is gone.”  She hit the down button on the elevator.

“I’m on my way.  Get down to the lobby. Keep this line open.”  

The perimeter alarm must also be linked to him, she thought as she pushed the down button again, but it didn’t light up.  Felicity hit it several more times and nothing.  She looked up and saw that one of the elevators was coming down from the rooftop bar.  She hit the down button but it still didn’t light up.  The car passed her floor.

“The elevator isn’t working,” she croaked out, panic trying to seize ahold of her.   _No, no, no!  You will stay in control._ She ran for the stairs.

“Felicity!”

His voice, she numbly registered.  He wasn’t wearing the modulator.

“Stay calm. I’m five minutes away.  Get to the stairs.  Go down.”

Felicity didn’t reply, just held the phone tightly in her hand.  She entered the stairwell and began running down the stairs.  A door below her opened and she froze.  Steps began running up towards her and she spun around, heading back in the direction she came.  Her bare feet made no sound as fear propelled her rapidly up the stairs.  She raised the phone to her ear.

“They are in the stairwell,” she whispered, running past her floor and heading two more floors up.  Her thighs were already burning.  She still wasn’t a hundred percent and she could feel her energy quickly dwindling.  She went up three more floors and paused by a door that led out to another floor of the hotel.  She listened intently, trying to muffle her own heavy breathing.  She didn’t hear anything below or above her.

“I’m two minutes out, Felicity.”  

A door above her suddenly slammed shut and there was a muffled curse at the noise.  Footsteps pounded down towards her.  She pulled the door behind her open a small crack and shimmied into the hall.  She held the door so it shut quietly; cursing the seconds it cost her.  As soon as it was shut, Felicity sprinted down the hall towards the elevators. Just as she turned into the elevator alcove, the doors to one of the elevators slid open and two men in masks and wearing all black exited the car.  Her mind registered the red serpent on each of their jackets as she skidded to a halt.  They stared at her in surprise.   _Run!!_ One of them raised a wrist to his mouth and she knew he was relaying her location.  She bolted past them and whipped around a corner, racing down the corridor for the stairs on the other side of the hotel.  She wanted to scream but she couldn’t; she did not doubt that anyone who came out to help her would be harmed by these men.  They were merciless.

“They found me,” she gasped into her phone as she ran.  She risked a glance over her shoulder and saw the men were quickly gaining ground.

“One minute,” was all he said, but Felicity heard the tension in his voice.

She ran into the stairwell and began racing down the steps.   She was three floors down when she heard them enter the stairwell and she exited onto another floor, racing to the other side to use a different stairwell.  She ran down the stairs until she reached the bottom and pushed on the door marked exit.  But instead of the lobby, she found herself in an alley.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” she exclaimed and quickly turned toward the street.  Her body was begging her to stop but she pushed herself back into a run.  Felicity made it exactly ten feet before two figures sprang out at her from the shadows.  She paused, feeling the cold from the asphalt seep into her feet.  She took a few steps back.  A noise behind her caused her to look over her shoulder and she saw the two more men step out from the stairwell she just exited.  She was surrounded.  Felicity’s heart thudded as they drew closer. Dread crawled up her back and she stood frozen, unable to move.   _Move,_ she screamed at herself, _move!_ She couldn’t, her eyes were glued to the men in front of her.  The red serpents on their jackets seemed to glow, mocking her and she felt her mind tumble to the past.

_“Miss Smoak, with whom did you share the information you discovered?”_

_“I-I-I...information? What information?”_

_Zap…..a silent scream, her vocal chords having long since given out. “P-p-p-lease. I don’t know what you mean.”_

_Zap….her back arching in agony as electricity coursed through her.  Wetness on her leg…she soiled herself again._

_“Miss Smoak, with whom did you share the information?”_

_She tried to lift her head, but couldn’t.  She said nothing.  Zap and she shuddered in the chair, her wrists bleeding from where she jerked at her bindings as the electricity traveled through her body._

A whimper escaped her as the memory threatened to bring her to her knees.  One of the men smiled, cold and menacing.  He took a step forward and Felicity snapped back to the present.   _No!_  Not this time.  She would not surrender to fear.  She would not let them win.  She was a survivor, not a victim.   _I am not a coward!_  Felicity   looked around her, Diggle’s voice in her head.   _Anything can become a weapon.  Think outside the box._  There, glinting in the shadows, some type of metal bar.  Felicity put her back to the wall of the building across the hotel and moved backwards, slowly.  They came at her from both sides.  Her foot hit the bar, and she dropped to the ground, seizing the bar as she rose fluidly back to her feet.  One of the men laughed and made a beckoning motion to her.

Felicity wasn’t stupid.  She couldn’t take these men on.  Without any type of training, the bar was just a bar.  But Felicity knew she had one thing on her side.  Okay, two things. First, the element of surprise, and second, the Green Arrow should be here any second.  Bringing her arm back, she whipped the bar at the men on her left, the ones closest to the street.  It whipped through the air, spinning like a Frisbee.  Wonder of wonders, it hit one of the men in the face, causing him to bend over at the sudden contact.  Using her phone as a second weapon, she hit the other man in the shin, startling him.  Taking advantage of their brief distraction, she pushed past them and ran for the street.  A hand grabbed her from behind and she went wild.   _Where was he?_ Just as she was opened her mouth to finally scream, the roar of a motorcycle filled the alley and there he was, racing towards them at full speed on a black Ducati.

He drove with one hand, his bow in the other.  As he drew closer, he rose into a half-stance.  The bike whipped by them and he lashed out with the bow, catching one of the men on the chin.  He crumpled to the ground, out cold.  Felicity was pushed into the arms of one of the men while the remaining two turned to face the Green Arrow as he popped a wheelie in the narrow alley, turning.  Felicity’s breath caught in her throat at the sheer beauty of him in action.  He gunned the motor, raced their way, lifting himself onto his feet, balancing on the seat.  As he approached, he launched himself at the two men, the bike tilting sideways to the ground, sliding several feet before it came to a stop.  Felicity watched as the Green Arrow tackled one of the men, rolling smoothly to the ground in a somersault, taking the man with him.  The man grunted as he landed hard and he struggled to stand.  The Green Arrow rose to his feet in one smoothly choreographed move.  Whipping his arms whipping and then down, he caught the man on the ground in throat while his foot came up to catch the other man who tried to tackle him from behind in the stomach.   Grunts of pain echoed across the alley.  The man closest Felicity came out of his stupor and he grabbed her.  He started dragging her towards the alley and she shrieked.  The Green Arrow made quick work of the last man and spun around, his arrow at the ready.    That’s when Felicity felt the knife.

Oliver kept aim, his eyes on the man holding Felicity at knife point.  One wrong move and Oliver knew without a doubt the man would slit her throat.   He could feel Felicity’s fear pouring off her in waves, but there was something else, something that fueled his focus; her complete and utter faith in him.

“Let her go,” he ordered as he took measured steps toward them.  He saw Felicity give him a look of confusion but he ignored it.  His focus was one hundred percent on the man and the knife at Felicity’s throat.

“Every step you take is killing her,” the man answered, and to make his point, he pricked the side of Felicity neck with the point of his knife.  A single drop of blood welled and lazily followed the path of her throat before disappearing beneath the thin tank top she wore.  To her credit, Felicity didn’t move or cry out.  Her eyes widened, but only Oliver could see her fear escalating.  She kept her eyes on him, making no sound and eliminating herself as a distraction.   _God, she’s smart,_ Oliver thought.

“Every step you take is killing you,” Oliver replied, his voice icy in its fury.  The words were sharp, and as lethal as the knife the man held at Felicity’s throat.  They weren’t a threat, but a promise.  This man was as good as dead.   _Just a few more feet_ , Oliver thought, _just a few more feet_.  The man dug his knife in a little more and this time Felicity winced as more blood followed the same path.  Oliver stopped.  It was enough.  Looking at Felicity, he let his eyes flicker downwards before turning his attention back to the man.  He prayed she understood his message.

“Let her go,” Oliver repeated.  “Last warning.”

“Our orders were to kill, not take. So go ahead. Do your worst.  She’ll already be dead.”

Oliver’s sharp eyes saw the man’s hands tighten on the hilt of the knife.  Time slowed and Oliver heard the man draw in a deep breath as he prepared to slice Felicity’s throat. Oliver felt more than saw Felicity’s body tense and knew she understood his earlier unspoken message as she suddenly went limp.  The man, surprised at the sudden weight of her against him, attempted to readjust his hold.  Taking advantage of the momentary loss of concentration, Felicity threw herself to the right just as Oliver let loose his arrow, sending it flying through the air.  It zeroed in on its target, striking the man through the heart.  He fell to the ground.  Dead.

Oliver felt his own breath whoosh out of him as the threat was eliminated.   He stood in the quiet, his ears attuned to the sounds of the night.  The immediate threat was gone, but Felicity still wasn’t safe.  They needed to get out of here.   Based on the information Felicity was able to relay as she ran through the hotel, there were at least four more men inside.  It wouldn’t be long before they made their way to the alley.  He ran to where Felicity sat on the ground, her head bent as she tried to rise.  She was shaking so badly that she couldn’t get her body to cooperate.

“Hey,” he said quietly, putting a hand on her shoulder.  She looked up at him, eyes brimming with tears.

“It’s okay.  You’re okay.”  Oliver glanced around the alley and his neck itched.  They needed to move and now.

“We have to go,” Oliver said and Felicity nodded.  He helped her to her feet, his eyes zeroing in on the thin tank she was wearing and her bare feet.  This was going to be a cold ride for her.  Felicity suddenly gasped and Oliver raised his bow, nocking an arrow in one swift movement.  He looked for the threat but saw nothing.  Turning back to Felicity, he saw that she was staring at the man he just killed.  Slowly, Oliver lowered his bow.

“He’s dead,” she whispered, her voice shaking, her gaze fixed on the man lying at her feet.

“I’m sorry.  He was going to kill you,” Oliver explained, regret heavy in his voice.  It wasn’t regret for killing the man; but rather the fact that Felicity was finally seeing the monster he worked so hard to temper and leash.  Given the choice, Oliver would put an arrow in the man again.  The man was prepared to slit Felicity’s throat.  So yeah, Oliver had no regrets about killing him.  Oliver watched as Felicity blinked rapidly at the fallen body.

“I’m sorry,” Felicity said softly.  Oliver looked at her in surprise.

“Sorry?”

She looked up at him with eyes swimming in sorrow and guilt.  But there was no fear of him, no judgment.  He held his breath.

“You made a choice at some point to stop killing.  And now, because of me….I took that choice away from you,” her voice broke and she looked away.  Oliver stared at her in shock.  He stepped closer to her, taking her hand in his, certain she would jerk away.  He was wrong.  She clutched his hand tightly.  

“Felicity,” Oliver said and waited until she raised her gaze to his.  “This is not your fault.  He had you and was going to kill you.  There was no choice to make.”

She clutched at his hand tighter and he could feel the chill in them through the leather of his gloves.  He drew her closer to his side, tugging her after him as he to his bike.  He lifted it from the ground, quickly examined it for any permanent damage.  Once Oliver was satisfied that the bike was fine and he could safely get her out of here, he hopped on and then held a hand out to help Felicity on the back.  The itch on the back of his neck was increasing.  They were running out of time.

“We need to go,” he said.  She moved forward to place her hand in his and then stopped.  Her gaze lifted to his and in that instant, he knew something just changed.

“Your voice,” she said, her head tilting to the side in a quintessential Felicity move.  Her eyes burned into his and Oliver saw his clever Felicity rapidly putting together the pieces of the puzzle that was the Green Arrow. In his haste, he’d forgotten to turn on the voice modulator.  He cursed silently.  This wasn’t how he wanted her to find out.  It wasn’t how he imagined she would find out.  Apprehension unfolded in him as dawning comprehension filtered into her expression.

“I know you,” she said and there was an indescribable emotion in her tone.

“You do,” he agreed, “Better than anyone else.”

Reality crashed in as his voice finally penetrated the flood of adrenaline and shock.   _God, oh my God,_ Felicity thought.  Her mind flooded with information; echoes of past conversations filtering through her thoughts and the physicality of both men played out in her mind’s eye.   _God, how could I be so blind_? She tried to summon anger, but found none.  There was confusion and a deep embarrassment at having been so slow to make the connection.  His hand was still held out to her.  She looked at the hotel and then the street.

“Felicity, there are more men in there.  We need to get out of here.  I can take you somewhere safe.  Diggle is there waiting.”

At the mention of Diggle’s name, Felicity’s eyes narrowed.   _Of course,_ she thought recalling his reaction when she asked him if he knew the Green Arrow.  She thought it was because he knew the Green Arrow just as she asked.  She was wrong; his reaction was because he _really_ knew the Green Arrow.  She couldn’t take his hand.  Not yet.  Crossing her arms in front of her, she met Oliver’s gaze through his mask.

“When were you going to tell me?”

Oliver’s hand fell to his side.  He looked back at the door leading from the hotel to the alley and then again at the street.  Now wasn’t the time.

“Felicity, I will answer any question you want but not here.  Not right now.  We _have_ to go.”

Despite the urgency she heard in his voice, Felicity didn’t move and she heard him grunt in frustration. _Oh, he’s frustrated_ , she thought, her own frustration swirling within her. She folded her arms around her as another chill racked her body.  He made another noise of frustration and then his head snapped up.  He looked around and then up. Whatever he saw had him grabbing her arm, pulling her onto the bike.

“Wait! I’m not—” she sputtered but he drowned out her words with the roar of the bike’s engines.  She just barely had time to wrap her arms around his waist before he was taking off like a bat out of hell.  Small popping noises echoed behind her and turning her head, Felicity saw a rain of bullets peppering the ground where they just were.   _In less than twenty-four hours, I’ve been shot at, had a knife to my throat, and shot at again.  This cannot be my new normal._  Oddly though, the idea that this may actually be her new normal wasn’t as jarring as it once would have been.  Felicity chalked that up to the fact she was still berating herself at not making the connection between Oliver and the Green Arrow sooner.  She held on tightly as Oliver careened around corner, leaving the hotel behind as he headed for the Glades.  

“It’s going to get cold,” he yelled back and Felicity rolled her eyes.  

“Understatement,” she yelled back.  It was cold the second he took off from the alley.  She shivered and tucked herself closer against the heat of his back.  Her hair blew wildly around her face, eyes watering at the rush of cold air.  Oliver whipped through the streets of Starling City at a high rate of speed yet Felicity wasn’t afraid.  She knew that Oliver, the Green Arrow, whoever he was, would never allow her to come to harm.   She closed her eyes and focused on this revelation.  Oliver Queen was the Green Arrow.    _Oliver Queen was the Green Arrow._  So much about him became clear in her mind.  The way he held himself, always on alert as if expecting danger at every turn.  The glint in his eye as he acted the playboy in front of others; a glint that always appeared to be mocking the person on the receiving end for failing to see the real him.  His incisive thoughts on the security at the press conference were at odds with the Oliver Queen that danced with the press.  Then there was his care of her; so at odds with that public persona.  She saw through him because she already knew him.  The confusion she felt in his presence and the Green Arrows made perfect sense now.

Felicity opened her eyes as the bike slowed and turned into a dark alley.  She looked around, not recognizing where they were but that they were somewhere in the Glades. Oliver pulled the bike around what appeared to be an old steel mill and parked it where it would not be visible from the street.  They sat there a moment, her arms locked tightly around his waist, his head turned as he looked at her from the corner of his eye.   Neither moved.

“We have a lot to talk about,” Felicity finally said and he nodded in agreement.  She couldn’t help the shiver that shook her body.  He cursed in response.

“Fuck. I’m sorry. I know it’s cold and you’re only wearing this slippy thing,” Oliver said as he slid of the bike.  He helped her off and she looked down at her camisole.  It was stained with her blood and plastered to her skin.  Looking up, she saw Oliver’s gaze was fixed on the camisole.  Felicity watched in fascination as his hand lifted and then traced the thin strap across her shoulder with a gloved finger.  She shivered; only this time it wasn’t the cold.   Her skin blazed along the path his finger drew and she wanted to step closer to his warmth.  She clenched her jaw, refusing to surrender to the feeling.  They needed to talk.  Gathering her willpower, she moved beyond his touch.  She ignored the sense of loss and the look that flashed in his eyes as his hand dropped to his side.  She needed to focus.  

“Where are we?” she asked, looking around.

"Our base of operations,” Oliver responded and motioned for her to follow him.  She looked down at her bare feet and sighed.  This was so disgusting.  She began picking her way through the debris of the alley.

“Ours?  You and Diggle?”

“Mine and Diggle’s,” Oliver confirmed.   Nodding, Felicity said nothing more as she concentrated on avoiding the broken glass in the alley.  She moved to step around another piece and found her foot in a puddle of some unidentifiable liquid.  She groaned in disgust.  She was just about to move when a pair of strong arms suddenly lifted her from the ground.

“Wha—?! I can walk, Oliver,” she protested as he carried her to the building.  He ignored her, not putting her down until they entered the steel mill.  Oliver lowered her feet to the ground, his hands on her hips as she steadied herself.  For a split second, neither moved and Oliver dug his fingers into her hip.  In response, Felicity’s fingers tightened on his biceps, the dipping and rolling of her stomach familiar.  It was the same as it always was; whether she was with Oliver or the Green Arrow.  It served to remind her how blind she’d been, how out of tune she was with her instincts.  She should have known.  Felicity moved away from him quickly, and tried to calm the rapid beating of her pulse.  Buying herself time to recover, she looked around the building, seeing nothing but a dilapidated building.  The night air intruded through broken windows and gaps where the roof was collapsing.

“Um, is this building safe?” she asked, eyeing the crumbling roof.   Oliver shot her a look as he led her to another door.  It looked as old as the rest of the building until Felicity noted it was solid steel and designed to look battered and rusted.  Oliver lifted a small hidden hatch just to the left of the door and revealed a scanner to which he pressed his thumb.  Felicity refrained from saying anything, although she did come closer to examine the scanner.  It beeped, then clicked and he pulled it open.

“After you,” he said, motioning her through.  She peered inside and saw a dimly lit staircase that led down to what appeared to be a large, open room.  More light filtered up from this space and she could hear someone moving around below.  She glanced at Oliver and he met her gaze evenly although there was a hint of apprehension in his eyes. Felicity didn’t move.  She looked between Oliver and the stairs, biting her lip.  

“Once I go down those steps, there’s no going back, is there?”

Oliver sighed with regret as he pushed his hood back.  He removed his mask and rubbed at the bridge of his nose.    In that instant, Felicity realized Oliver was just as nervous as she.  She studied him openly from head to toe; the way the sleeves of his jacket emphasized the strength of his arms, the leather pants that did funny things to her insides. More importantly, the way he carried himself.  Assured, confident, and in control; that was Oliver Queen.   _And_ the Green Arrow.  It had been in front of her the entire time. Felicity thought back to every interaction and came to another realization.  In the last several days, there were moments when Oliver appeared to be on the verge of telling her something, whether dressed as the Green Arrow or at QC.  He knew things would change.  Perhaps it was how things would change that held him back.  

“No,” Oliver finally said, a note of sorrow in his voice.  “Whether you stay or go, there is no going back.  

Oliver hesitated a moment before continuing.  “Will you let me explain, Felicity?”

In answer, Felicity started walking down the stairs.    

Oliver breathed a silent sigh of relief when Felicity began descending the steps into the lair.   Yes, this was game changing in ways she did not yet understand.  There were things about him she was about to discover; things that did not even begin to scratch the surface of what he’d become after the island.  It was this part of him, a part he kept so tightly leashed, that he was afraid of her discovering.  Tonight in the alley was only a glimpse.  Would she stay or go?  The mere thought of her not being in his life agitated a part of him buried long ago when he chose this life over everything and everyone.    He kept his relationships superficial, laying out the ground rules from the beginning. Dinner, drinks, and sex were on the table but nothing more.  Most women didn’t care, simply wanting the spotlight that came with dating Oliver Queen.  Others tried to pretend they didn’t care but then would start to ask for more.  At the first hint, he dropped them, solidifying his reputation as a playboy every time he broke someone’s heart.  Never mind that these women were more in love with the idea of him.  He was a dick, he knew that, but he did not have the capacity to give more.  Until now.   For the first time in a long time, Oliver found himself wanting more; a life outside of the lair, a life that bore some semblance of normalcy.  All because he met Felicity Smoak.

Oliver heard Felicity gasp as she entered the lair and he tried to see the space from her perspective.  The room was large, with industrial lights hanging from the rafters of the ceiling.  On the far right of the room, past the tables, thick mats were scattered across the concrete floor providing a sparring place where he and Diggle trained.  A punching bag and wooden training dummy were shoved along the wall at the edge of the mats. In the center, tables were set up as work stations.  Equipment lay strewn across the tables with no semblance of order.  Arrowheads ready for sharpening lay mixed with guns in various stages of being taken apart for cleaning.   Computers sat on a large desk facing the opposite side of the room and Oliver saw Felicity grimace at the set up.    In the middle of this workspace, Diggle stood with his arms crossed across his chest, looking at Felicity in surprise. Glancing at Oliver, Diggle raised a brow in question.

“I forgot to turn on my voice modulator,” Oliver explained and Diggle nodded before looking back at Felicity.

“Hi,” he said cautiously, wondering what was going through that brilliant mind of hers as she looked around the room.  Felicity nodded and wandered over to the rack of arrows, her finger reaching out to touch the tip.  Oliver jerked forward but a single head shake from Diggle stopped him in his tracks.  Felicity said nothing as she moved over to another table that held Diggle’s weapons.   She looked down at the various guns, still quiet.   She moved over to the left, briefly looking at the salmon ladder set up across from the computer station. Finally, she studied their computers and noticed the perimeter alarm from her hotel room on one of the monitors.  She turned back to face them.

“That,” she said, pointing at their computers, “hurts me to my very soul.  It is, by far, the absolute worst setup I’ve ever seen.”

It wasn’t what Oliver expected her to say but then again, he learned early on to expect the unexpected from Felicity.  He couldn’t help the smile that pulled at his lips.

“We’re not very good with computers,” Diggle offered, “Perhaps you could help us with that?”

Felicity didn’t say anything, but Oliver saw her fingers twitch in response.  Instead she sighed and rubbed her arms up and down her arms.  Oliver moved over to a foot locker under one of the tables and started digging through it.  Finding one of his old hoodies, he shook it and handed it to her.  She took it gratefully and pulled it over her head. Oliver couldn’t help the wave of satisfaction he felt at seeing her wrapped in his sweatshirt.  The dark grey sweatshirt swallowed her up, hanging over the tips of her fingers. She pulled the sleeves up, curling her fingers around the cuffs in a tight grip.  

“When were you going to tell me?” she finally asked, and her question was directed at Oliver.  

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly.  “There were several times I almost told you, but something held me back.  The urge would hit me but it just never seemed the right time to just lay all this on you.”

“Was it a lack of trust?  Or did you think I was too unstable to keep your secret?”

“No!” Oliver and Diggle both answered immediately.   

“What we do, Felicity, is dangerous.  Bringing you in on this, when your life is already in danger, didn’t seem fair,” Diggle explained.

“Fair?” Felicity repeated and gave them both an incredulous look.  “Does it look like anything in my life has been fair since I moved to Starling City?”

“This adds another layer of danger,” Oliver explained.  “There are people out there that want me dead.  Many, many people.  Anyone involved with me as the Green Arrow is in danger.”

“You as in the Green Arrow, but not Oliver Queen,” Felicity pointed out, ignoring the ache at the thought of him hurt.

“It’s the same thing, though, isn’t it?” Diggle mused as he leaned against one of the tables, bracing his hands on either side of himself.   Felicity didn’t answer.  No, she wasn’t the one answering questions tonight.  

“How did you become involved?” Felicity asked Diggle.  

“It’s a long story,” Diggle began and Felicity barked out a laugh.

“I have time,” she said spreading her arms out, the ends of the sleeves flapping over her hands.

“Shortly after Oliver returned from the “dead,” I was hired by Mrs. Queen to protect Oliver when there was an attempt to kidnap him.  Little did I know that Oliver didn’t need protecting.  What I knew immediately was that there was far more to Oliver than met the eye but couldn’t quite put my finger on what he was up to.  One night, when Oliver was attempting to bring down an assassin hired to kill the competition in a corporate bidding war, I was shot in the crossfire.  The bullet was laden with poison and Oliver brought me here, saving my life.  In doing so, he revealed his secret to me.”

Oliver smiled at the memory of Diggle’s discovery that he was the Green Arrow.  It wasn’t as smooth as Diggle described. He recalled a few fucks, some name calling, and a storm out of epic proportions.  All by Diggle.  He smirked and Diggle gave him the finger.  

“And poof! Just like that, you joined his…” Felicity paused and then frowned. “What exactly do you call this little venture of yours? A crusade? Mission?”

“Oh no, I nearly turned him into the cops.  Twice,” Diggle replied laconically and Felicity’s eyes widened.  Her lips twitched at the corner as if she were trying to suppress a smile.

“Wait. What? I didn’t know that,” Oliver said, frowning at Diggle who merely shrugged.  

“It was an option and one I seriously considered before choosing another option,” Diggle explained.  At the offended look on Oliver’s face, Diggle simply smiled.

“Really?”

“Why didn’t you?” Felicity interrupted, her lips lifting upwards in reluctant amusement.

“Yeah, why didn’t you?” Oliver echoed, folding his arms across his chest.

“It wasn’t as black and white as I thought,” Diggle sighed.  “The city is under attack and the police are either incapable or unwilling to do anything about it.  Drugs, prostitution, illegal gambling…all of it was infecting the city with a disease that was spreading like wildfire.  This is my home, where I grew up and I watched as it slowly sank into despair. While I didn’t agree with Oliver’s tactics, what he was doing was having an effect on the people of the city.  Hope was starting to unfurl and a new balance between those who wanted to tear the city apart and the one man trying to save it was clawing its way forward.  I saw how I could be a part of that, how I could help save my city.  And,” Diggle gave Oliver a serious look, “I could help Oliver in more ways than one, as well.”

“You did,” Oliver said quietly, “you did.”  The two men exchanged a look that spoke to their deep bonds of friendship.  Oliver turned back to Felicity.

“I trusted Diggle from the beginning.  The very first time he called me on my bullshit when I ditched him to come here, to this space.  It was the same with you.  I trusted you from the moment I met you, the second you put your hand in mine, I knew I could trust you.  This life I lead, it’s dangerous but I chose it.  How could I just reveal this to you without somehow giving you a choice?”

“Exactly how was it going to be my choice?  You either tell me or don’t,” Felicity paused and then tilted her head to the side, looking at Oliver through narrowed eyes.  “Unless you, as in the Green Arrow, were planning to ask me if I wanted to know who you were…” Felicity’s voice trailed off as Oliver nodded.

“I was.  I needed this to be your choice, Felicity.  After everything you’ve been through, after everything that has been taken out of your hands, the least I could give you was a choice in this because knowing does change everything.  If you didn’t want to know, I thought maybe I could walk away.”

“Are you kidding me?” Felicity demanded with an incredulous look on her face.  “Seriously?”

Oliver looked at Diggle who gave him this you-are-such-an-idiot look that only Diggle could do.  He was missing something.   Felicity rolled her eyes.

“So you would walk away as the Green Arrow?” at his confused nod, Felicity continued, “what about as Oliver Queen?  Would you walk away from me as Oliver Queen? ”

Felicity felt herself blush in the sudden silence.   _I can’t believe I just said that._  She went to clarify but then stopped, knowing she would only make it worse.  When he didn’t answer, she felt her blush deepening.

“Doesn’t matter,” Felicity muttered.  “Why would you tell some IT girl about your secret identity if she actually told your secret identity she didn’t want to know?”

In movement so fast that Felicity blinked in surprise, Oliver invaded Felicity’s personal space.  He towered over her, his face solemn.  Tenderness flickered in his eyes as he looked at her.

“Because it’s you,” Oliver said and Felicity felt herself melting at his words, the tenor of his voice stroking over her skin as if he were caressing her with his hands.  His next words stole her breath away.

“You see me, Felicity.  Right through me.  Oliver Queen or Green Arrow…there was no way for me to be in your life without you knowing.  My mistake was not telling you sooner.  I’m sorry.”

 _I am in so much trouble_ , Felicity thought, drowning just a bit in Oliver’s eyes.   Emotion swirled within their depths, tugging her into the deep.   _God, I’m in so much trouble._ She wanted to be angry.  She wanted to feel betrayed.  Only, she couldn’t.   He saved her in more ways than one.  As Oliver Queen as the Green Arrow, he saved her in more ways than one.  An image of the man lying in the alley came to mind.

“The man in the alley!  The police…” she began but Diggle was already shaking his head.

“The remaining men in the hotel sanitized the scene leaving no trace of their presence.  They are just as interested in making sure no one knows what happened tonight as we are.”  Felicity breathed a sigh of relief but then had another thought.

“And the guard outside my room?”

Diggle’s lips thinned in disgust.  “Claimed he received a text telling him he could turn in for the night.  I told him he could consider that text his notice of termination.”

Felicity nodded, her gaze shifting between both men.  There were so many more questions she wanted to ask and she knew they would answer each and every one of them.   _Do I need to know the answers now? Can I do this; join this mission, without having all the answers?_  She pressed her fingertips to her temples.  Before she could decide though, a beeping from one of the computers snagged her attention.  

Turning to face the computers, she saw one of the screens flash and then go blank.  She gave a sigh as both Diggle and Oliver moved around her and converged on the system. Diggle pushed Oliver’s hand away as he took over the keyboard.  Felicity smothered a laugh.

“What happened?” Oliver asked as Diggle started tapping at various keys on the keyboard.  Diggle didn’t respond as he attempted to bring the monitor back up.  Felicity rolled her eyes as he attempted the universal CTRL+ALT+DEL to bring up the task manager.

“I don’t know. I was running a search on the serpent information Felicity gave you,” Diggle replied, shaking the mouse and hitting a few more keys on the keyboard.  She couldn’t take it.  Felicity cleared her throat to get their attention.  

“Maybe you should try restarting?” Felicity offered innocently and then outright laughed as Diggle reached down to the CPU to do just that.

“Oh for God’s sake, I was kidding. Move,” she ordered and Diggle, surprised, surrendered his chair.  Felicity sat down, adjusted the height and arms before facing the computer. She moved her neck left then right; and then linked her fingers as she stretched her arms out.  She looked at the monitors still running and immediately saw the problem.  She began typing, random screens popping up on the other two monitors.  The third remained blank.  Felicity wasn’t concerned.  She was almost there.  The screen popped up and on it was the emblem she remembered and saw again today.  

The image swam before her eyes and was replaced with memories of men wearing this symbol swarming into her apartment.

_Hands grabbed her, waking her from sleep.  Her mouth opened to scream, something sticky came down, sealing her scream inside her throat.  Her arms were roughly pulled back, something plastic tightened around her wrists, cutting into the skin.  She struggled but was no match for the strength overwhelming her.  She felt the prick of a needle in her neck and then nothing…._

In an unconscious gesture, Felicity lifted her hand in the air, hesitated and then placed it on her neck in the exact spot the needle entered.  

“They injected me with a drug.  Something that knocked me out immediately.  I could smell it.  Sweet.  Sickly sweet, like rotting fruit,” Felicity murmured, her hand still on her neck.  She shook her head, bringing herself back to the present and met the very concerned eyes of Oliver and Diggle.

“You okay?” Oliver asked, sinking down next to her chair.  His eyes roved over her face, resting for a long moment on the hand she still clasped to her neck.  His teeth clenched and before she thought to stop herself, Felicity smoothed her fingers across the line of his jaw.

“It’s okay,” she said, “sometimes it just happens that way.  As I confront my fear, accept the changes in my life, more and more memories start to unfold.  I was going to tell you but then, you know, all this happened.”

Diggle moved to Felicity’s right, and leaned forward to read the computer screen over her shoulder.

“According to this,” Diggle reading the information that Felicity recovered, “this serpent is worn by a group known as The Cadre.”

Oliver stood as Felicity turned her chair back to the computers.   He crossed his arms in front of him to prevent himself from reaching down to rest his hand on her shoulder. He wasn’t sure where they were right now and suddenly found he was hesitant to touch her.  If she so much as flinched, he knew he would feel it like a punch to the gut.  

Felicity read what was on the screen.  It didn’t take long.  They had an image and a name. Nothing else.   She frowned.

“Um, Diggle? What kind of search did you do?”

“I used a program I downloaded from the internet,” Diggle explained sheepishly.  Felicity closed her eyes.  This was it, decision time.  She was either in or out.  She opened her eyes and looked around the room.   

“We need more information on The Cadre,” Felicity began and powered down the computers.

“Wait! What are you doing?” protested Diggle as she pushed her chair back and moved around to the other side of the table.

“Fixing your system,” Felicity said, unhooking cables, mentally cataloguing the equipment.  It wasn’t terrible equipment, but they could certainly do better.  She would make a list, she decided.   She looked up at Oliver and Diggle from her position behind the computers.

“I can’t work on a system functioning this poorly.  I also could use some additional equipment.”

Oliver and Diggle exchanged a look before turning back to her.

“Does this mean you’re in?” Oliver asked cautiously.

“I want to know what happened to me. No, that’s not right.  I _need_ to know.  I can’t do that alone.  I need you both and it looks like you need me.”

It was quiet for a moment before Diggle finally spoke.

“My wife was taken, too.  She’s an operative with an organization known as A.R.G.U.S.”

“You were on the helicopter,” Felicity said, recalling the man wearing a balaclava to conceal his identity.  Diggle nodded in confirmation.  

“I’m familiar with A.R.G.U.S. from my time at the NSA,” Felicity continued, “Are you sure it wasn’t related to a case she is working?”

“We’re sure,” Diggle replied.  “We can’t find a connection.  Unless you happen to be that connection.”

Felicity looked down at the power cord she was running between her fingers.

“We need to understand who and what The Cadre is,” Oliver said, “it starts there.”

“No,” Felicity disagreed, “it starts with me.”

* * *

A few nights later, Oliver found himself making the rounds of Starling City’s hottest nightclubs. By mutual decision, he, Diggle and Felicity agreed that the focus right now needed to be on Felicity’s security.  She moved into her new apartment and spent the last few days setting up the security system with Diggle’s help.  The complexity of the system astonished Oliver and the respect he had for her skills grew exponentially.  The way her mind worked absolutely fascinated him and he wanted to learn more.  As it were, he had spent little to no time with her.  Her presence in the lair was already a fixture as she made changes here and there, organizing their operation.  One evening he came in to find a list of equipment taped to his suit.  The following evening he came in to find the equipment he quickly purchased already set up.  He didn’t know if she was purposefully avoiding him as she adjusted to this new reality between them but what he did know was that he missed her.   On that thought, he decided to head to the lair, hoping to catch her there.  He was just heading out the door when he bumped into someone unexpected.

“Tommy!”  Oliver embraced his friend, slapping him on the back.  “When did you get back?”

“A few hours ago.  Knew you would be here so headed down as soon as I dropped my luggage at the house.  Where the hell do you think you’re going?  The night is young and over at the bar, I spy with my little eye four gorgeous women ripe for the picking.”

Oliver laughed, “Damn I missed you…Starling City just isn’t the same without you.  But I have to go.  Early morning tomorrow.”

“Nonsense.  Call in sick or go in late.  I’ll write you a note.”

With that, Tommy dragged Oliver back to the bar where he ordered a bottle of Glenlivet.  Oliver groaned and Tommy laughed.   Oliver mentally kissed his plan to catch Felicity at the lair good-by.  It was a good thing he also didn’t have plans to make the rounds as the Green Arrow tonight.  He came out tonight as part of his Oliver Queen, playboy, image.  Let the paparazzi capture a few photographs; keep the public’s knowledge of Oliver Queen superficial.  Leaning back against the bar, he surveyed the crowd.  

“Here. Enjoy.  It’s only a twelve year old bottle, but it’s better than the swill in the well,” Tommy said and tossed two fingers of Glenlivet back.  He poured himself another.

“How was Europe?” Oliver asked, swirling the scotch in his glass.  He grinned as Tommy flashed a charming smile at the ladies a few seats away before raising his glass in a mock toast.  They giggled and Oliver had to refrain from rolling his eyes.  

“All business and boring as hell,” Tommy said, making a face.  “Merlyn Global’s business interests in Europe remain intact.  But never mind Europe. Let’s talk about you.”

“Not much to talk about,” Oliver shrugged, sipping at his drink.  “Work, play, sleep. Repeat.”

Tommy laughed as he turned back to the bar to pour himself another drink.  He leaned his forearms on the bar, cradling the glass between his hands.  He tipped his head toward Oliver.

“That’s not what I hear…a little birdie told me you’re hitting a certain QC employee of recent fame.”

Oliver forced himself to smile when he really wanted to plant his fist in Tommy’s grinning face.   _Not his fault, not his fault,_ Oliver kept repeating to himself.  This was Tommy. Devil-may-care when is the next party Tommy.  Of course he was going to poke at Oliver about the latest gossip.  

“I’m impressed you kept up to date with local gossip,” Oliver replied, smiling his Oliver Queen smile at one of the brunettes at the bar.  He hated brunettes.  At least, he hated brunettes now.  Tommy followed the direction of Oliver’s smile and grinned again.  

“Think her friend would go for me?”

“You’re Tommy Merlyn.  Your trust fund is enough for them to overlook your ugly face.”

Tommy threw his head back in laughter.  “Damn, I missed you man.” Tommy ran a hand over his hair, mussing it up a bit more.  He poured himself another glass.  Oliver frowned at how fast Tommy was drinking.

“Everything okay?”

“What?” Tommy looked at him in confusion. “Oh, yeah.  The usual.  Dad’s called me into the office tomorrow afternoon for a meeting.  I’m sure it’s going to be another lecture and questions such as why I can’t be more like you.”

Oliver heard the bitterness in his friend’s voice.  It was old, developing over years and years of trying to gain his father’s approval.  

“Your father is a dick,” he said mildly causing Tommy to laugh.  

“No arguments there,” Tommy replied, taking his turn at surveying the room.  He shot Oliver a look. “Seriously though, I saw that picture.  Looked pretty intense to me.”

“She’s been through a lot. I can relate.  You know that,” Oliver said dismissively.  Tommy studied him for a minute, a speculative look in his eye.

“Nah, I’m not buying it.  There was this whole protective vibe going on and then your reaction at the press conference?  Come on, you can tell me.”

“Nothing to tell, man,” Oliver said, tossing his drink back and holding it out for a refill.  “Do you think I need the complication of a needy victim?”  

Oliver swallowed the sour taste his words produced in his mouth.  Despite how oblivious Tommy could be, there were times, like right now, when he was incredibly astute.  The last thing Oliver needed was Tommy’s curiosity to focus on Felicity.

“Yeah, but she’s a hot needy victim,” Tommy drawled and grinned at the look on Oliver’s face.  “Come on, are you telling me you seriously didn’t notice?”

Oliver shrugged, not bothering to reply.  Tommy waited a moment and then, grabbing the bottle to top of their drinks, inclined his head toward the ladies at the bar.

“Shall we?”

It was a challenge, Oliver realized.  A test of some sort, and one he couldn’t fail.  Oliver nodded and despite the guilt tugging at him, he followed Tommy.  As he laughed, drank, and made merry, he wondered what Felicity was doing tonight.

* * *

 

“It took me a while to remember, but once I started digging into the serpent image and began an image recognition search, I recalled where I had seen it outside of my kidnapping,”  Felicity keyed a few commands and a grainy still of a video opened on the table monitor Oliver purchased the other day.  Situated against one side of the work station, its touchscreen allowed Felicity to pull data over from her workstation in order to share what she discovered with Oliver and Diggle in a larger space. 

Oliver and Diggle studied the picture.  It was Oliver that made the connection first.

“Wait, that’s a photo–”

“Taken from the video surveillance where the fake reporters’ bodies were found,” Felicity finished for him, pulling up another image.  The photo was blurry but the red serpent remained visible.

“So I hacked back into the police evidence database and found these,” Felicity brought up four more videos and the stills she captured from them.

“This one,” she pointed to one on the left, “was what Starling Police called a turf war between rival gangs in the Glades.  This one, a drug deal gone badly, and this one was the murder of a dock worker who stumbled into a major drug delivery.”  Felicity pointed to each photo in turn and then brought up another photograph.  It was the manifest of the docks.

“How did you get that?” asked Diggle and Felicity blushed.

“The company’s firewall is pretty weak,” she replied.

“What does the manifest tell us?” Oliver asked, utterly fascinated by the amount of information Felicity found in a matter of days.

“Each of these crimes the police claimed were done by people in the Glades coincided with the arrival of a ship from China.  Unfortunately, the manifest does not show what the ship was carrying.”

“It’s a power play,” Diggle mused, as he studied the images.  “The police didn’t have it entirely wrong, only they shifted the focus to the Glades rather than outside forces.”

Felicity nodded in agreement. “It’s an economic and territorial power play. And it actually goes back years.”

“Years?” Oliver turned to Felicity in surprise. “I haven’t seen this serpent image around the city since I’ve been back.”

“The logo, or whatever you want to call it, is new.  As far as I can tell, it showed up a year ago but the police buried it well.  However, using the information in the shipping manifest, I was able to find similar incidents all centered on the arrival of a ship from China going back before you, well you know, ‘died.’   Incidents started out small and grew in increments and violence over the years.  This group? They are patient. Incredibly patient.”

“When does the next ship come in?” Oliver asked, his fingers flexing as if he were holding his bow.

“Tomorrow night.”

* * *

 

“The move at the hotel was sloppy.”

Malcolm paused mid-signature.  Carefully setting his pen down, he looked up at the figure lounging in against the doorjamb of his office.

“You weren’t announced,” he observed, ignoring the criticism of the second attempt on Miss Smoak’s life.

“Why would I be?”

“I have a secretary,” Malcolm said mildly.  He stood and poured himself a drink.  He held up the decanter but was refused.  Malcolm took a sip of his drink as he stared over the city.

“Don’t you think I considered taking her at the hotel?”

“I don’t know what you consider these days,” Malcolm replied, an edge in his voice.

“I consider everything.  The hotel was never an option.  The Green Arrow is no fool. He’s looking for us so of course he’s watching her.”

“I’m not a fool,” Malcolm retorted. “Of course I took the Green Arrow into account.  The area was carefully surveilled.  He wasn’t present.”

“And the alarm along the perimeter of her room?”

“An oversight,” Malcolm admitted, feeling the sting of failure once again.  He was getting sloppy.

“Like I said, sloppy.”

“Good men are hard to find.”

“Excuses now?”

Malcolm said nothing.  He swirled his drink around his glass and watched the scotch cling to the sides before slipping to pool at the bottom.  

“Has she been seen since the incident at the hotel?”

“No.  We know she moved, but we don’t know where.  There are no records of her signing a lease or purchasing a home,” Malcolm answered. “Moira checked with QC’s HR department and the address she provided is an abandoned apartment building at the edge of the Glades.”

“He’s helping her.”

“So is Oliver,” Malcolm shared, “along with Mr. Diggle.”

A blink.  The only sign of surprise.  A sigh, much like that of a resigned parent.

“I’ll take care of Oliver.”

“Will you? And how will you do that, Tommy?”

“The way I always do.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver, Diggle and Felicity infiltrate the ship from China. Oliver has a surprising offer for Thea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a scientist or computer expert....suspend all reality for this chapter! Just go with me here.....LOL!
> 
> Thank you all for reading and the comments! I do read each and every one of them and appreciate the thoughtful and constructive feedback. I really do consider them all. Thank you so much!

* * *

It was the type of night that made Oliver’s blood pump double time, adrenaline flooding his system as his senses went on high alert.  The sky was overcast, the full moon blanketed by clouds so thick, not a sliver of moonlight escaped.  The air was damp and a fine mist sprayed across his face as the light wind shifted directions.  Tension thrummed through his body as Oliver surveyed the docks from his perch up high on a tower of wooden crates, listening intently to the night around him.  Water lapped gently against the sides of the ship berthed below him mixing with the clang of something metal hitting the hard surface of the buoy bobbing listlessly in the middle of the channel.  He could hear the faint sound of cars crossing the bridge between the Glades and downtown Starling City.  Something broke the surface of the water before disappearing again beneath the surface.  The docks were deserted.  And that, in and of itself, was troubling.  Ships came in during all hours of the day and night.  While the night shift itself wasn’t large, it did consist of actual people.  Yet, there was no one in sight.  Oliver focused back on the ship.  It appeared equally deserted.  His blood pumped harder and he flexed his fingers in anticipation.

“I’m on site. Docks are deserted. No sign of dock workers.  Ship is dark.”

“Copy. No movement seen from my end. It’s too quiet.  Place appears deserted.”  Diggle was on the other side of the docks, advantageously positioned to provide Oliver backup or to quickly leave if a distraction took place elsewhere in the Glades.

“Actually, it’s not,” Felicity corrected over comms from her position in the lair.  “According to satellite images, there are at least 15 people on the ship. And…” she paused a moment before continuing, “another five individuals in the storage bay to your left, Oliver.  Hmmm….What is that in vigilante talk? Three o’clock? Nine o’clock?”

“Nine o’clock,” Diggle answered, a smile in his voice, “and what satellite images?”

There was a small silence before they heard Felicity clear her throat. 

“Let’s just talk about that later, okay?”

Oliver felt his lips curve upwards in a smile.  The sound of Felicity’s voice in his ear pleased him in an inexplicable way.   He studied the ship, not seeing any movement.  He then looked at the storage bay.  It was equally dark.  But he did not doubt Felicity for one minute.  If she said there were people inside, then there were people inside.

“Here we go,” Felicity suddenly said and Oliver could hear the nerves in her voice.  She was silent a moment and then started giving orders with no hesitation.

“Diggle, Starling City police are responding to a gang fight on the corner of 8th and Ivy.  All units are responding except one that just detoured and is taking up position just outside the main entrance to the docks.  Oliver, in about five seconds, the doors to the storage bay will open and in another five seconds, you should see movement on the deck of the ship.”

 _Five, four, three, two, one,_ Oliver mentally counted and just as he hit one, the storage bay doors opened revealing five individuals in dock worker uniforms.  Oliver turned back to the ship just as three individuals surfaced on the deck.  Within a few minutes, Oliver counted 15 people moving around on the deck and opening what appeared to be a cargo hatch on the far side of the deck.  

“Diggle?” Oliver murmured into his comms unit as he scooted forward on the crate.  He removed a specialized, pressurized cylinder containing a zipline from his jacked and attached it to an arrow.  He raised his bow and waited for Diggle’s response.

“On my way to the gang fight. You got this?”

“Oh yeah, I got this.”

“No. I got this,” came Felicity’s voice and Oliver paused just as he was about to release the now modified arrow towards the pilot house on the ship.

“What do you mean?”

“Watch,” was all she said and suddenly sirens exploded right outside the docks as police cruisers came flying into the area.  

“What the hell, Felicity? I need cover, not back up.”

“Watch,” she repeated tersely.  Oliver shifted back on the crate to take himself out of view from the police cars as they drove onto the docks and positioned themselves by the storage bay.   _No one is running for cover,_ he realized and watched as the dock workers wandered over to the police officer.  The ship workers came off the ship and Oliver pressed himself flat against the top of the crates as they walked right beneath him.  

“Go now, Oliver.”

He didn’t hesitate.  Launching the zip line which lodged itself into the pilot house, Oliver moved soundlessly through the air, landing on the deck effortlessly.  Turning, he saw the police and dock and ship workers were having what appeared to be an animated conversation.  

“What exactly did you do, Miss Smoak?” he teased as he quickly ran across the ship towards the open cargo hatch.

“Another subject for later, Mr. Queen,” came her pert reply.  For the second time that night, Oliver’s lips quirked into a small smile.  Shaking his head, he approached the cargo hatch carefully.

“I’m not picking any other heat signatures on the ship.  Just you.”

Reassured that no one was going to jump out at him, he peered down into the hold.

“Crates. Maybe 100.”  

“You have five minutes. Maybe six.”

“Diggle?”

“No gang fight.  Or if there was, long over and area swept clean. Headed back.  ETA five minutes.”

“Felicity?”

“You know, considering what we are doing is illegal….not to mention dangerous….maybe you shouldn’t say our names out loud. I mean, I can because I’m here in the lair…or is it bunker? Point is, I’m alone where no one can hear me, but really, anyone could hear the two of you.  We need code names. I vote for code names.”

“Code names?”

“She has a point,” Diggle interjected, “I do have a family to consider.”

“Technically, Oliver, you have one.  The whole city calls you the Green Arrow, so it really is about Diggle and me.”

“Isn’t _this_ something we could talk about later?” Oliver asked in amusement as he landed in the hold.  He couldn’t stop smiling.  

“Did you just jump down into the storage space?” Felicity asked, her voice sounding worried.

“The hold,” Oliver corrected, “and yes. Why?”

“Oliver, two men are headed back to the ship.”

“I can handle two men,” he grunted out as he pried open one of the crates.  He peered inside, and frowned.

“Do we have any information about what’s supposed to be in these crates?”

“No, and they’re getting closer.  You have maybe two minutes before they reach the ship.  What’s inside?”

“Trinkets. The kind you find in tourist shops in China or here in the Glades.”

“Well, the ship is from China. One minute, Oliver.”

“I need another minute,” Oliver said, as he pried open another crate only to find more trinkets.  Vases, key chains, fortune cats, and small Buddhas.  He fingered one of the Buddhas and then pocketed it.  Shouting erupted from outside and Oliver twisted his head to look up through the hatch.  The shouting seemed to be coming from the storage bay.

“Felicity, talk to me.”

“It’s okay.  That’s me.  I’m patched through to the police units on site and identified one of the dock workers as wanted by SCPD.”

“I’m two minutes out.  And how on earth did you manage that?” asked Diggle.

“Because he is and can we talk about _that_ later as well?” Felicity replied and Oliver shook his head, extremely curious as to what Felicity was up to back in the lair.

“There’s nothing in these crates but trinkets.  Is this the only cargo hold on the ship?”

There was silence for a moment before Felicity replied, “According to the ship’s schematics, no.  There are four more; one more next door to you, the other two on the opposite side of the ship.”

 _The ships schematics? Where on earth did she uncover those and how did she do that so fast?_ Oliver turned and found the hatch leading into the cargo hold.  Opening it carefully, he peered out into the passageway.  Empty.  He tried the nearest hatch and it opened to an empty hold.  

“It’s empty.  Can you guide me to the other two holds?”

“Of course, but Oliver, you don’t have time.  My distraction is only going to work for so long.   The SCPD are slow, but eventually, they are going to call back to the station and realize that the person talking to them through their radios is not an operator with SCPD.”

“Felicity.”

“Put your back to the hold you just exited,” she directed, “and go left.”

Oliver immediately began moving, following her precise, yet clipped directions.  In less than five minutes he was in front of the other two hatches.  They were locked.”

“Dammit. They’re locked. I need –”

“Oliver, you’re going to have company in about a minute.  The dock and ship workers are all headed for the ship.”

“I’m on site and located at second egress point.  First is occupied,” Diggle advised.

“Felicity, the locks are electronic,” Oliver said, feeling the tension mount.  His senses stirred and he knew he was no longer alone on the ship.

“You have company, Oliver,” Felicity responded.  

“The locks, Felicity.”

Silence and Oliver patiently waited, knowing that Felicity was doing what she does best. He could hear people moving about the ship.  Time was running out but he said nothing.

“The locks are not online.  The only signals I’m able to find on the ship are in the pilot house and another room several decks below you.  But I would need more time to hack into those.  The locks must be localized electronic lock.  Cipher maybe? And Oliver, you have company. Now!”

Felicity was speaking rapidly and Oliver concentrated to keep up with her rapid-fire delivery.

“Need a new exit route,” he said just as a man turned the corner stopping short at the sight of Oliver in the passageway.  Before the man could do anything more than open his mouth in surprise, he was on the ground, out cold.  Having Felicity oversee their movements in the field was proving to be very handy.

“Oliver, activity in the parking lot has increased.  A van just arrived and about 15 more men just exited and are headed for the ship,” Diggle warned.

“They’re armed,” Felicity added.  “I’m picking up a different heat sequence.  Taser, maybe.  It’s something I haven’t seen before.” 

“Where am I going, Felicity?” Oliver asked as he made his way back to the original hold.  He heard a shout and knew someone just found the man he knocked out.  

“Oliver, listen carefully.  On the seam of your jacket, left side, you’ll feel a small, plastic disc.  Push it once.”

Oliver felt along the line of his jacket and found the disc and pushed it. Felicity came online immediately just as he was about to enter the hold.

“Do not enter the hold!” she yelled into his ear.  “Two men just dropped in. Keep going past it.”

“How did—”

“Tracking beacon.  Gives off a different signal so I can distinguish you from others.  I put them in both your jackets this morning before work. Now, keep straight.  Turn left. Now right.”

Oliver followed Felicity’s directions to the letter and quickly found himself outside on a lower deck.  He could hear voices shouting above him in Chinese.  He listened carefully for a minute to what they were shouting, filing it away for later.

“Now what?”

“Is your suit waterproof?”

Oliver looked over the deck and sighed.  He was about to get cold.

* * *

Felicity breathed a sigh of relief once Diggle confirmed he and Oliver were on their way back to the lair.   Taking off her comms unit, she dropped her head into her hands, trying to bring her pounding heart back under control.  Adrenaline continued to rush through her and she stood up, needing something to do to work off the excess energy.  She began pulling out dry clothes for Oliver, digging through the trunk he kept in the lair.  A small leather-bound book fell from where it was wrapped in the sweatshirt she pulled out, landing on top of an old, banged up metal box.  Felicity paused at the sight of the book, a feeling of déjà vu sweeping over her.   _I know this book_ , she thought and continued gathering dry clothes while letting the feeling wander.  According to her research into recovering memories lost as a result of trauma, the stress of trying to capture a memory often makes it more elusive.  The trick was to just let the feeling filter through, to keep doing what you were doing and let it come naturally.  The memory wasn’t cooperating though and with one final look at the small book, she closed the lid to the trunk.  She just finished grabbing a towel from the workout area when Oliver and Diggle came in.  He was dripping wet.  

“Strip,” she ordered, grabbing a towel from the stack kept by their medical supplies.  Diggle snorted as he removed his jacket and made his way to the weapons locker.  Felicity closed her eyes in mortification.  When she reopened them, it was to see Oliver trying not to smile as he set his bow and quiver on the table closest to him.  Felicity held out the dry clothes and towel, not trusting herself to say another word.  Oliver unzipped his jacket, and pulled it off, hanging it on the back of a chair.  He turned to take the clothes from her and she swallowed hard at the sight of him.  He was, simply put, beautiful.  Her eyes roved over his chest, lingering on the scars and the tattoos.  Without thinking, she reached out and touched the puckered scar on the left side of his abdomen.  His muscles jumped and she jerked her hand back, her eyes flying up to meet his.   His expression was unreadable.   

“I’m sorry,” she whispered but wasn’t sure whether her apology was for touching him or for the scars.  Her eyes moved back to his chest as he took a step towards her.  She could almost hear the echoes of the pain he must have endured to earn those scars.  She looked at her own arms, covered in long sleeves, the burns still healing but unlikely to scar to such an extent.  

“Felicity.”

She looked up at the sound of her name.  His eyes were darkly shadowed, and there was a bleakness to them that she knew was mirrored in her own gaze.

“They don’t hurt,” he said softly as he took the dry clothes from her.

“Sometimes the memory hurts just as much,” she replied just as softly, stepping back to let him pass.  He stared at her for another beat and then nodded in acknowledgment before disappearing into the small bathroom to change.

Felicity turned back to find Diggle giving her a considering look.  

“He doesn’t talk about it,” he said, as he removed his gun from his holster.   He set it on the small table by the weapons locker and began removing his holster.

“Ever?” Felicity asked, wandering closer to watch Diggle work.  Her eyes catalogued every move he made when dealing with his weapons.

“Rarely,” Diggle clarified, and then paused in what he was doing. “I know he wasn’t alone on that island. And that maybe he wasn’t always on the island.  But details?  Very few.”

“That can’t be healthy.  And surprising since he encourages me to talk all the time.”

“No,” Diggle agreed giving her a quick smile, “but I think that just may change in the near future.  You have no idea how much he’s changed in the short time he’s known you.”

Felicity shook her head but said nothing.  She leaned back against the table to watch Diggle work.  Diggle glanced at her and then gave her another one of his smiles.  She soaked it up, enjoying this rare moment alone with her friend.  She gave him a sunny smile in return and Diggle reached out to squeeze her shoulder. 

“That was some good work tonight, Felicity,” he commended as he checked the clip of his gun before replacing it in the cabinet.  He set the unloaded weapon on the table for cleaning despite it not being used.  Diggle was fastidious about the care and cleanliness of his weapons.  Didn’t matter if he didn’t use it; if he loaded it and took it out into the field, it was subject to a thorough inspection before it was returned to the locker.

“Thanks,” Felicity said, somewhat shyly.  She wasn’t used to anyone appreciating her work, at least not as an IT specialist.  Of course, most people were already in a bad mood when she showed up to their office to fix whatever it was that was wrong.  She was pretty much ignored when she had to work in someone’s office.  Forgotten.  It was amazing what people would talk about in front of her, as if she was unable to hear because she was a “computer geek.”  

“Want to tell me about that satellite?”

Felicity flushed and ducked her head.

“No,” she said and Diggle laughed.

“Let me ask you this…will Lyla be telling me any stories tonight about weird satellite activity?”

Felicity flushed hotter and Diggle laughed again.

“You are something else, you know that?”  The admiration in his voice left little room for doubt as to what he meant.  Felicity smiled in response.

“Is it wrong that I really enjoyed myself tonight?  I mean, what we are doing is so off the grid.  I feel like I shouldn’t enjoy what I – we – did tonight.”

Diggle paused in what he was doing to think about her question.

“Are you feeling guilty, Felicity?”

“No, at least not in the way you mean.  I don’t feel guilty for what I did tonight to help you and Oliver.  I liked doing it and I’m not sure I’m supposed to.”

“Not everything is black and white. It took me a minute to fully grasp that there are shades of gray….many shades of gray.  The corruption is widespread and the people who are supposed to be doing what we do?  Either can’t because they can’t trust their partners, their bosses, or won’t because they are corrupt.”

“That doesn’t make my breaking the law okay, though.”

“No.  But the fact you, myself, or Oliver are technically breaking the law also doesn’t mean we aren’t doing something good for the city.”

“It seems black and white to me.  Break the law or don’t.  Where is the in between?” Felicity argued.  There was no heat in her voice, merely curiosity.  A devil’s advocate position, so to speak.  The measured way in which Diggle was responding told Felicity he understood exactly where she was coming from.

“Sure, if you look at it in absolutes.  But when we’re breaking the law, we’re not lining our own pockets.  We’re not paying people to look the other way.  Quite the opposite.  We are shining a bright light on the corruption in this city, on the crime that remains unchecked, and slowly….frustratingly so sometimes….we _are_ making a difference.  More honest cops, residents of the Glades, _and outside of it_ ,” Diggle emphasized, “taking up the watch and reporting crimes more frequently rather than ignoring what is happening.  That’s progress.”

“Yes, I see your point.  It’s not quite shades of grey.  It’s more like….it’s about the greater good,” Felicity said thoughtfully.  Diggle nodded in agreement.  He eyed her again and Felicity raised a brow.

“Is it too much, Felicity?  What you experienced tonight is nothing compared to other ops.  This was easy, most likely because we have you as our eyes and ears, but other ops won’t be nearly as simple.”

Felicity wanted to be offended.  And she was a second away from giving a flippant response but the look on Diggle’s face stopped her.  His expression was open and concerned and it was clear that his concern was for her. He wasn’t asking as someone out in the field taking direction from her.  He was asking because he was genuinely worried about her and her well-being.  She thought about tonight, how she felt during the operation, how alive she felt in every move she made.  This work was dangerous, more so for Oliver and Diggle.  She was safely hidden away in the lair while they were out in the field, exposed to the danger they were pursuing.  Was the stress too much? Would it affect her so much that she could inadvertently put their lives in danger?

Felicity rubbed a finger against the edge of the table, the cool metal smooth against her fingertips.  She thought about guiding Oliver through the ship and then over the rail into the water.  Of hacking the police communications system and distracting them from what was happening on the ship and then the feeling of adrenaline as it raced through her system, the traces of which still lingered.

“No,” she finally said, looking up to meet Diggle’s eyes.  “It’s not too much.  I’m finally taking some control over what happened to me.  The first few days, weeks, I needed to recover, to readjust.  But it was never going to be enough, just sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone to do something.   I’m helping to solve my own case.  And that is helping me move forward.  This? This is part of my new normal.  And I like it.”

Diggle nodded thoughtfully.  He looked around the lair for a minute, considering his next words before turning back to Felicity.

“It’s true you’re safe here in the lair, but like we discovered tonight with those locks on the ship, you may have to go out in the field. And then there’s the fact that whoever took you is still after you.  I would feel a whole lot better if you knew how to protect yourself.”

“No guns,” Felicity immediately said and Diggle nodded in agreement.

“No, guns aren’t for everyone.  I was thinking more along the lines of some basic self-defense to start with.  Most people think of self-defense like we see in the movies, someone disabling another right away.  In real life, if someone is looking to grab you, they know what’s coming – they know you are going to kick them in the groin or jab at their eyes – and will disable you first.”

“So you want to teach me how to disable them first?” asked Felicity, her interest piqued.

“Self-defense is all about using your smarts to avoid a fight, to surprise your attacker with unexpected moves so you can run.”

“I won’t always be able to run away, though.”

“No,” Diggle agreed, “but this is where we start.  Offense comes later.”

Felicity tilted her head to the side in consideration.  It wasn’t like she hadn’t thought about learning some sort of self-defense off and on over the years.  Naturally, she now thought about it every day.  Sometimes, what ifs ran through her mind when she couldn’t sleep and despite her attempts to shut those thoughts down, she could never quite stop thinking that if she had only taken a course or two in college, maybe none of this would have happened.    _Stop,_ she ordered herself, _you cannot wallow in what ifs. They change nothing. Do something now to avoid being in that position again. There is your power._

“Will you teach me both?” Felicity asked and Diggle nodded.

“Teach you what?” Oliver asked as he came out of the bathroom, the pants to his suit draped over one arm.  He picked up the jacket and moved to hang them on a set of hooks designed for his bows.  Felicity made a mental note to look into some sort of case for his suit.  She watched as Oliver took something out of the pocked of the jacket.  She zeroed in on it, coming closer Oliver to see it better.

“What’s this?” she asked, her attention diverted from the conversation she was having with Diggle.  She reached out to take it from him, her fingertips skimming the palm of his hand.  He closed his hand around her fingers and the object briefly before releasing her.  Felicity ignored the flush that reignited across her cheeks, keeping her gaze on the small Buddha wrapped in plastic now resting in her hand.  From her periphery, she could see Oliver’s small smile as he answered her question.

“A sample of what was in the crates.  They were filled with stuff like this; small Buddha statues, elephants, vases, and other souvenirs.”

Felicity nodded as ran her fingers over the small Buddha.  She turned it in her hand, looking at the smeared paint.  She gently pressed on the figurine, feeling the softness of the plaster; the dunk in the channel having clearly damaged it.  Felicity frowned, pushing a bit more firmly on the figure.  The softness of figurine felt odd under her fingertips.  Removing the plastic wrap, Felicity bent her head over the figurine, dragging a nail down the side, pieces of the statue flaked to the ground and caked under her fingernail.  She looked at the fine, powdery substance under her nail.

“What?” asked Oliver as his eyes followed the path her fingers were once again making over the figurine.

“I don’t know,” she murmured softly as she continued examine the figure.  “This plaster, it’s odd.  Not like you would expect in a souvenir shop.”

“It’s a typical, cheap souvenir.  I’m not surprised the water damaged it.”

“No,” she murmured as her mind began firing in a million different directions as she contemplated the small Buddha now resting in her hand.  “No, there is something….I’ve seen something like this before.  I can’t—” _Oh my God,_ Felicity thought, _of course!_

“It’s not cheap. It’s not plaster,” she blurted out and hurried over to another table holding equipment more likely found in a research laboratory than in the basement of an old steel mill.  She grabbed a metal tray from the shelves built below the table and set the small Buddha inside.  Opening a small door from the rolling cabinet set near the table, she pulled out a small glass beaker.  She picked up the figurine and after moment’s hesitation, she snapped the head off.

“Whoa,” Diggle said moving over for a better view, “why was that so easy?  These things may be cheap but they are normally made from some sort of ceramic.”

“This isn’t ceramic.  Water wouldn’t damage ceramic. And a dunking in polluted water like the channel still wouldn’t do this amount of damage in such a short period of time.  It’s not plaster either,” she answered before they could ask.  “If it were, the water wouldn’t make it soft, but sticky, tacky even.  Instead, the statue is slowly disintegrating in a controlled way from a solid substance into some type of powder.”

“Some type of drug? Cocaine or heroin?” asked Oliver, quickly picking up on where she was going with this.  He was also not surprised that a ship from overseas would be trafficking in drugs.  

“Most likely,” Felicity absently said, more focused on what she was doing.  She grabbed a small bottle of distilled water from the same cabinet.  Taking a dropper from the top drawer of the cabinet, she filled it from the bottle and then slowly emptied it one drop at a time onto the head in the beaker.  After about eight controlled drops, the head collapsed, and in its place was a pile of shimmering powder.  

“Wait, why didn’t it do that in Oliver’s jacket?” asked Diggle and Felicity frowned a moment.

“His suit is somewhat waterproof and it was wrapped in plastic. The damp was enough to weaken the structure but not enough to have it disintegrate. Direct exposure to liquid was required.”

“That doesn’t look like coke or heroin,” Diggle observed, bending forward to look at the substance more closely.

“No, it doesn’t,” Oliver agreed, picking up the glass and holding it to the light above him.  Felicity sighed, taking the glass from him and setting it back on the counter.  From the side of the table, she pulled out a lighted magnifying glass attached to a long arm and positioned it over the glass.  She stepped back and motioned to Oliver to take a look.  Oliver took in the contraption and the rest of the supplies on and around the table.

“You’ve put that credit card to good use,” he observed.

“Better than relying on Starling City police labs.  Besides, I’m better at what they do.”  There was no conceit in her voice, just a stated fact and Oliver and Diggle couldn’t agree more.

“No kidding,” Oliver commented as he bent his head to peer into the glass.  After a moment, he moved so that Diggle could get a look.

“What is it?” Diggle asked, stepping back.

“I don’t know,” Felicity replied, taking her turn to peer through the lighted magnifying glass.  She studied the powder and then looked over at the rest of the statue.  Deciding there was enough for her to run a number of tests, she added more water to the powder and swirled the glass to mix the powder and water.  The powder dissolved almost instantaneously, turning a pale pink.  A sweet odor wafted up from the glass.

Felicity quickly put the glass down as memories assailed her.   _A syringe in the hand of the person covering her mouth with his other, the sickly sweet scent of rotting fruit assailing her nostrils, making them burn.  A glimpse of pale pink liquid in the syringe before the needle was shoved into her neck, and then nothing as she faded into darkness._

“Felicity…..Felicity…..”

She blinked rapidly, coming back from where her memories had taken her.  Oliver was in front of her, both hands resting on her shoulders, his face concerned.  Diggle stood just to his left, arms folded across his chest, blocking the sight of the beaker. _Protecting her_ , she thought and felt the sting of tears. The little things these two men did to protect her never failed to affect her. She blinked rapidly; pleased she was able to control her emotions better. She _was_ getting better.   Felicity looked between the two, and took a deep, steadying breath.

“I’m okay. I’m okay…” she repeated, “A memory…..that smell.  It’s the same.  I think this was what was in the needle.”

“Are you sure?” Oliver asked keeping his hands on her shoulders.  Felicity felt his thumbs smooth over her collarbone in soothing gesture as she nodded.

“Positive. The smell is so distinctive.  Like rotting fruit,” she said.  She lifted a hand to one of Oliver’s squeezing it lightly before moving out from his hold.  Moving around Diggle, she picked up the glass and sniffed it again, noticing the scent was dissipating quickly.

“I’ll need to run it through the mass spectrometer to identify what it’s made from and to see if we can isolate the predominant chemical.”

Her words were met with silence.  Looking up, she caught Diggle and Oliver exchanging a look.

“What?”

“Um, what’s a mass spectr—” Oliver asked, stumbling over the word before Felicity interrupted him.

“Mass spectrometer,” supplied Felicity.

“Yes, that and do we have one?”

“It’s a an instrumental method for identifying the chemical constitution of a substance by means of the separation of gaseous ions according to their differing mass and charge—” Felicity broke off as both Oliver and Diggle struggled to hide their smiles.  She sighed.

“It will break down this powder and tell me what it’s made of and yes, we have one.  I’ll start tomorrow,” Felicity promised glancing at her watch. “I need to go. I have an early morning at QC.”

Diggle also glanced at his watch noting it was almost ten.

“It is getting late and I need to head home, too. I’ll drop you off, Felicity, do the final security sweep at your place.”

“Thanks,” Felicity accepted gratefully.  She carefully stored away the remains of the figurine before disposing of the liquid and beaker in a biohazard container.   She made a mental note to tell Oliver that he will need to dispose of any contents at least once a week.  Pulling on her jacket, she followed Diggle towards the stairs.

“Good night, Oliver.  See you tomorrow.”

“Night,” he said softly, and she squeezed his arm as she walked past him.  She was halfway up the stairs when she turned to look over her shoulder.  Oliver was where she left him, only this time leaning against the table, his hands gripping the edges.  A single light shined down on him and Felicity thought she had never seen a person so alone.  Her heart gripped at the sight of him, his head bowed as he wrestled with whatever thoughts had him holding on to the edges of the table so tightly.  Before she could think about it, she said his name softly.  His head came up quickly, and their eyes met.  A flood of emotions charged between them and Felicity found herself gripping the railing tightly.  She was not ready.  While she wanted to run down the stairs and fling herself into his arms, she was not ready.  She needed to finish rebuilding herself, to rediscover those strengths that _they_ tried to destroy in her. If she let him, Oliver could surround her and take over so completely and she would find herself succumbing to his will rather than meeting it with her own.  No, she wasn’t ready but neither could she discount her own growing attraction to Oliver.

“I’m having a new processor delivered to QC tomorrow.  You’ll need to come down to IT after everyone leaves to pick it up.”

A slow smile crossed his face and instinctively Felicity knew it had to do with coming down to the IT department to see her.  

“You certainly do like your gadgets, Miss Smoak.” 

“You have no idea, Mr. Queen.”

* * *

It was after midnight when Oliver finally returned home.  He stayed behind at the lair, cleaning up his bow, replacing the arrow he used to launch himself to the ship.  He examined his suit for damage, and then ensured it was cleaned and treated after the dunk in the channel.  He looked at Felicity’s computers, but didn’t touch.  There seemed to be some complicated search pattern she was running and he didn’t so much as touch the mouse lest he screw up whatever it was she was doing.  As he came up the driveway, Oliver was surprised to see the lights in the mansion blazing.   _Trouble,_ he thought, recalling every time he came home after a particularly rowdy night, the lights would be blazing as his mother and father waited for him. 

He was right.  As soon as Oliver walked into the house, he heard the shouting coming from the study.

“I had to ask a friend to cover the bill! It was so embarrassing!”

“Thea, I tried to tell you as you left the house tonight that your credit cards were no longer working. Only you flew out of here without so much as pausing to give me a single moment of time. 

Oliver winced as he realized that Moira had taken his advice and cut Thea off.  He headed for the stairs but then stopped as Thea began shrieking.

“What right do you have to turn off my credit cards? That’s my trust fund! Mine! Dad purposefully left you out of it so you wouldn’t use it for yourself. We all know how much you like to “borrow” from other accounts!”

Oliver frowned, wondering what Thea was talking about.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Thea.  I suggest you quit while you are ahead.”

Moira’s calm voice only served to further enrage Thea.

“IT’S MY TRUST FUND! MY MONEY!”

“Listen to yourself.  You sound like a spoiled child.  Which shouldn’t surprise me, since that is exactly what you are.  Yes, it’s your trust fund; however, it’s predicated on conditions.  Like you being a full-time student or holding full-time employment in order for you to continue to receive a monthly allowance.  You can abandon all of that when you turn 30 when all the money left in the trust becomes yours with no strings attached.  At this rate, though, you’ll have to keep whatever job you have because there will nothing left.”

There was no response from Thea.  Oliver quietly made his way to the door of the study where he could hear and not be seen.

“No quick comeback? Of course not.  You didn’t expect me to find out you dropped out of school, did you?”

“Did you call them?”

“No.  The trustee received a refund on your tuition and called me when he couldn’t reach you.  So I directed him to return the check and the school called to explain.”

“I’ll get a job, then.”

“That’s great, but until you find one, your allowance from the trust fund stops.  You will be required to show a W2 filed with a new employer and then your pay stubs.”

“Are these new rules you’re implementing?” Thea sneered, her voice angry and tear-ridden.

“No.  If you had bothered to read the terms of your trust, you would know that these were requirements your father established.”

“Probably because of Ollie,” Thea snapped and Oliver couldn’t disagree.  Most likely Robert saw the direction he had been headed before his ill-fated trip to China and made changes to Thea’s trust fund.

“What am I supposed to do for money until I find a job?”

“Any money you need until then comes directly from me.  And your allowance from me is a $100 a week.”

Oliver’s eyebrows went up when he heard that and he couldn’t help but grin. Damn, his mother was not joking around.  He was pretty sure that was what Thea blew through in an hour of partying.  Shit, meet fan.  He wasn’t wrong.

“WHAT?!? One hundred dollars?!?! THAT IS BULLSHIT. That doesn’t even begin to cover my expenses.”

“Language. And I suggest you begin to reexamine your priorities.”

“You never cut Oliver off.”

Silence and Oliver was about to walk in when Moira spoke.  Her voice was, if possible, even more quiet.  It was filled with regret and sadness.  He bowed his head, eyes closing at the pain he heard in his mother’s voice.

“Perhaps, if your father and I had cut Oliver off earlier, he never would have been on that damn boat.  Perhaps he would be a different man today and not this remote version that remains guarded and removed.  I lost a child, Thea, only to have him returned to me, different, and while he tries to act the same as he was all those years ago, he’s changed. I don’t think I could bear to lose you, too.”

Oliver suppressed the feelings of guilt that surfaced at his mother’s words. The lies he told to hide his secret were not conducive to rebuilding his relationship with his mother. He withheld a part of himself and she knew that. She attributed it to his time on the island. And Oliver let her. Not wanting to hear any more, he walked into the study causing both women to jerk in surprise.

“Sorry,” he said, “I couldn’t help but hear most of that.”

Thea rolled her eyes at him.  “I’m beginning to believe you hear more than you let on, Ollie.”

She had no idea, but he said nothing, just reached out and mussed her hair.  She glared at him and slapped his arm.

“Children,” Moira intoned and he and Thea exchanged a grin.  He tugged again at her hair and she shoved him away again.  He could see the pleasure in her eyes at the attention he was giving her and once again reminded himself that he needed to spend more time with Thea.

“I guess you heard I’m grounded?  I’m twenty years old and grounded.”

“No, what I heard was that you needed to go back to school or get a job so you could regain access to your trust.  Doesn’t sound like you’re grounded to me.”

“It’s the same thing.  Can’t go out without money or credit cards.  And $100 is nothing,” Thea said with a point look at Moira who merely stared back calmly.

“Then go back to school.”

“School sucks.”

“Get a job,” Oliver said giving Thea a patronizing smile.  She glared at him.

“Jerk.”

“Brat.”

“Children,” Moira intoned again, folding her arms in front of her as she glared at them.  Thea giggled and Oliver gave Moira an innocent smile.  Moira gave him a look but couldn’t quite hide the amusement in her eyes.

“Sorry, Mom,” he said ruefully, “but really, I overheard most of that and I think I have a solution.”

“Kiss ass.”

“Thea Queen!” Moira admonished but Oliver just shook his head.

“Hey, Speedy, if you don’t want my help with a job, I’ll just head upstairs now.”  Oliver turned to but Thea stopped him.

“Wait!  What job? And it better not be at QC,” Thea warned.

“Wouldn’t dream of suggesting it.  Had another idea. Something better suited for you.”

Moira looked at him as if he were crazy.

“Oliver, perhaps we should talk about it first?”

“Why?” Oliver asked, knowing it would piss his mother off. “It’s Thea’s choice what job she takes, right?  If I recall correctly, the trust doesn’t specify what kind of job, just that it be full-time.”

“Oliver,” Moira warned him and her tone was enough to have Thea sidling up to him to link her arm through his.

“What job, Ollie?” clearly willing to take a job that she knew would annoy Moira.

“Tommy and I are opening a club.  We need a manager. I think you would be perfect.”

“Oliver!”

“What? Thea is perfect for the job.  She knows all the best DJs, has a relationship with every liquor distributor in town,” Oliver grunted as Thea elbowed him, “and she is actually very good with numbers.  Have you ever seen the spreadsheet she keeps on her expenses? She knows exactly who owes her what down to the penny.  She may spend wildly, but she knows where every penny goes.  And since her pay as a manager wouldn’t be competitive with the more established clubs, we intend to give her a monthly bonus contingent on the success of the club.  With that incentive, I’m confident the place will be the hottest spot in the Glades within twenty-four hours and making a profit within three months.”

Moira’s eyes narrowed at the mention of the Glades.  She pursed her lips but before she could say anything, Thea was already in negotiation mode.

“A cut of the proceeds?”

“No, regular salary with bonus scaled to monthly profit of the club.”

“10%?” 

“Ha. Try three to start. Five if the club breaks even after the first month.  We’ll revisit this conversation if it begins turning a profit within three.”

“Deal. When do I start?”

“Contractor for building renovations is coming tomorrow.  You’ll need to meet with him along with Tommy and me.  Interior designer will be there, too.”

“Time?”

“Eight a.m. sharp.  I have a meeting at QC at nine, so I only have half an hour to spare.”

Oliver nearly laughed at the look of horror on Thea’s face at the thought of having to be somewhere by eight in the morning.  She didn’t complain though.

“In that case, I better get to bed.”

Thea left without telling either of them good night, clearly still miffed at having her trust fund income taken away.  Moira sighed as she watched her go.

“A club, Oliver? Really?”

“Why not?  The Glades is the perfect location, especially since the building in question is one left to me in my trust from Dad,” Oliver said as he settled into the couch, sprawling lazily across half of it.

“The Glades is falling apart, Oliver. You’re wasting money.”

“I don’t agree.  The Glades is looking for opportunity, for people to invest in its recovery.  Since that dinner party, I’ve been thinking about this and about the responsibility we, as leading members of the city, have to the Glades.”

Moira went over to the bar to pour a drink.  She held the bottle up to Oliver who shook his head.

“And Tommy?” Moira asked.  “What’s his interest in all of this?”

“Boredom, I think,” Oliver replied, tilting his head back against the back of the sofa and closing his eyes.  He heard the ice clinking in his mother’s class and then the click of her heels as she walked towards him.  He smiled faintly as she ran her fingers through his hair when she passed him by.  He opened his eyes as she settled in the chair opposite him.

“Boredom?”

“Yeah.  Since coming back from Europe, things have slowed down for him at Merlyn Global.  He was looking for a project.  He wanted to start a casting agency, but I’m pretty sure he was only looking for a faster way to meet women.”

Moira laughed but it was forced and the back of Oliver’s neck tingled.  He remained slouched into the sofa, feet on the table.  However, his senses ticked back to life.

“I just thought Tommy would be busy with Merlyn Global.  I seem to recall Malcolm mentioning a new position for him. When did you two have time to concoct this plan?”

Oliver shrugged, not sure where this conversation was going, only knowing that his mother seemed very uncomfortable with the fact that he and Tommy would be going into business together.

“You know, Tommy.  Always looking for ways to annoy Malcolm. And it’s an idea that I’ve been toying with for some time now. I mentioned it briefly to Tommy before he left for Europe. He reminded me the other night while we were out.”

“How will you balance this with your duties at QC?” Moira asked, changing tactics a bit.

“It’s a nightclub, Mom.  I’ll balance it just fine.  And that’s why I’m hiring Thea as well as one other manager.”

“But the Glades, Oliver?  There is so much violence. And according to the Mayor, there has been an increase in drug trafficking and related gun violence.”

Oliver stirred slightly at the mention of drugs.  He looked over at his mom and dropped any pretense.

“What is this really about, Mom?”

“I’m just concerned for your safety.”

“No. It’s more than that.”

“The Glades are dangerous. We’ve spoken about this.  And now you want to drag your sister down there?”

“It’s right on the edge of town, Mom.  The old steel mill.”

Moira met Oliver’s eyes, and he caught the slightest hint of panic in them.  He pressed further.

“What going on in the Glades that has you so worried?”

“What’s not going on in the Glades is the better question. The Glades needs to be rebuilt but not like this.  It needs to be broken down completely, and then rebuilt.”

“And the people who call it home?”

“Will simply have to find someplace else to live.”

Oliver stared at Moira, somewhat surprised at her cavalier attitude towards the people in the Glades.  He didn’t recognize this woman.  She met his gaze evenly, revealing nothing in her expression.  Oliver continued to stare at her and there - the slightest tightening of her grip on the glass.  There was something larger going on here.  Something Moira wasn’t ready to reveal to him.  He stood up from the couch, running a hand through his hair.

“Mom, the location is perfect for what I have in mind.  And security will be top notch.  Thea will be safer there than in most of the clubs she frequents now.  As for the Glades, I think I made my feelings pretty clear.  We have a responsibility to this city.  This is me doing my part.  I’m turning in.  Good night, mom.”

“Good night, Oliver.”

Moira watched Oliver leave before she pulled her phone out.  Quickly dialing, she waited until he answered.

“Tommy Merlyn, what exactly are you up to?" 

“Ah, I take it you heard about Oliver’s new club.  Really, it was his idea.  I just jumped on board and encouraged it.  Do you know how much work it takes to open a club?  I do.  He’s going to be awfully busy.  So will Mr. Diggle.  The Glades are awfully dangerous and Oliver will need his bodyguard.”

“Isn’t this a bit extreme to separate him from Miss Smoak? Surely there are better methods.”

“How much time have you spent asking him about Felicity Smoak? Have you seen the look on his face when her name is mentioned?  Or the expression he gets when the press hounds her? Because I have.”

“He’s dragged Thea into this.  My children were supposed to be safe from everything we are doing. Not in the middle of it and this club puts them in the middle. He is your friend, Tommy.”

There was a pause before Tommy spoke.

“What does Thea have to do with this?”

“Oliver just hired her as the club manager!”

Silence and then Tommy laughed.

“Relax, Moira.  This is so much better than what I originally planned.  Thea is going to help us and she won’t even know it.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to simply bring Oliver in?”

“In case you failed to notice, your son returned from the island with a bleeding heart.”

Moira said nothing because Tommy wasn’t wrong.  But where he saw it as a sign of weakness, Moira could not help the pride she felt at what Oliver was doing, and the strength it took to stand for something that was not widely popular.

“You don’t need to remind me that Oliver is my friend. Like I told my father, I’ll take care of Oliver.  In a matter of weeks, Felicity Smoak won’t ever want to see Oliver again.  When that happens, we will make our move on her.  Focus and patience.”

Moira slowly lowered the phone from her ear, staring blindly ahead of her.  She was in too deep to get out, but she began to wonder what she could do from the inside to change the course she and Robert set in motion so many years ago.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Cadre discusses the Green Arrow. Felicity marks a milestone and later meets a friend of Oliver's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are the best! Your thoughtful comments, sharing your reactions to what you read, and the one-liners that make me laugh are very much appreciated. Thank you for reading. Thank you for sharing with others. Thank you!

* * *

 

Tommy strode into the emergency meeting of the Cadre, a murderous expression on his face.

“What the fuck happened and why am I just now finding out about it?” he asked the assembled group, his voice tight with unleashed anger.  Only one member from each family was present at this last minute meeting.  Jin Cheung was the only member not physically present; instead, he was listening via a conference phone set-up in the middle of the table.  

“The Green Arrow made an appearance at the docks tonight,” Isabel replied, her voice tinged with annoyance at being called to this meeting like some errant child.  Her disdain for Tommy was evident but it didn’t faze him at all.  He held an equal disdain for the woman whose presence was necessary but undesired.

“No shit.  But why?  What tipped him off? And why am I finding out about it,” he looked at his watch, “nearly twelve hours after the fact?”

“We don’t know what drew his focus to the docks and you found out at the same time the rest of us did,” replied Moira calmly from her seat at the table.  Her hands were folded on the table, her spine straight.  Her expression revealed nothing of her thoughts.  She appeared as she did at all of their meetings; remotely calm, analytical even. 

“My people tell me they found him in the rear hold,” Jin reported from China, his voice equally calm.  Out of all the members of the Cadre, only Jin and Moira appeared unaffected by anything and everything the Cadre did to accomplish their plan.  Moira often wondered if his outward appearance was much like hers, an act.  Jin had children, three to be exact, and if the photographs in his office were of any indication, he adored his sons and daughter much as Moira adored Oliver and Thea.  There was nothing he wouldn’t do for them, of that she was sure. 

“Did he enter the hold?” Tommy asked through gritted teeth and no one spoke for a moment.  Tommy banged his fist on the table. “Will someone please tell me what the fuck happened without me having to ask four million fucking questions?”

“You will excuse me, Thomas, if I delay a minute as I read the report I just received from my people so that I may thoroughly brief you.  Copies are being simultaneously sent to all of you at this very moment,” replied Jin, the chastisement in his voice clear.  Tommy clenched his fist, but he did not lose hold of his temper.  Yet.  Phones began vibrating just as Jin resumed speaking.

“The Green Arrow was found in the rear hold, cipher locks were still engaged and did not appear to have been tampered with.  He did, however, rifle through the crates in the forward holds.  Those contain the souvenirs and were not under lock and key.  Inventory is not yet complete, but as of this preliminary report, nothing is missing.” 

All the members of the Cadre followed along on their phones except Tommy who continued to wait on more information from the people at the table.  Each was specifically selected for their connections in business, the community, and politics.  Each had a role to play and right now, other than Jin, they were failing dismally.

Blair Kingston’s phone buzzed again and he glance at it, quickly reading the information he just received.

“Starling City police report an operator redirected them to return to the docks vice the diversion set up in the Glades.  They were told there was an incident in the parking lot.  Since this was off-script, they thought the report was legitimate and responded in case there was a problem with the off-loading.  The operator sounded male, the voice somewhat garbled, yet there were no male operators on duty last night.  As soon as they realized they were set up, they converged on the ship,” Blair reported, summarizing the rest of the message.

“My men were sent to all storage holds, including the modified hold, and that is when one man encountered the Green Arrow by the rear hold.  He was knocked out.  By the time he was found, the Green Arrow had disappeared,” Jin finished and fell silent.

“Disappeared?” Tommy asked incredulously, “Just like that? Now you see him, now you don’t?  Is he a magician now?  What do you mean disappeared?”

“My men, along with the dock workers, conducted a search of the ship working opposite ends and meeting in the middle.  Guards were established at the gang plank.  Their search yielded nothing.  They suspect he went into the water but there was no sign of him.  A search of the docks and surrounding area revealed nothing but a set of tire marks by the west entrance.  He either had a vehicle waiting or an accomplice.”

The tension in the room ratcheted up several notches.  Tommy looked over at Conrad.  The docks were under his control yet he remained silent.  Tommy placed his palms flat on the table and leaned forward in Conrad’s direction.  When he spoke, Conrad winced at the volume of Tommy’s voice.

“HOW THE FUCK DID THE GREEN ARROW DISCOVER THE SHIP?”

“I don’t know,” replied Conrad, failing to keep the thread of fear from his voice.  “The ship’s arrival is thoroughly documented in order to not draw suspicion of an undocumented ship coming and going.  Perhaps the frequency of ships from China drew his attention.”

“Well, thank you, Conrad, for that riveting revelation,” Tommy sneered.  “But since we _already_ know from last night’s appearance that the ship drew his attention, perhaps you could also explain HOW he knew to turn his attention to the docks and discover that ship?  We’ve kept that area carefully regulated; provoking violence in the area in order for it to continue to blend in with the rest of the Glades.  For fuck’s sake, we’ve incited gang fights on the docks with our men yet not once did the Green Arrow show any interest in our presence.  WHY NOW?”

He didn’t reply and Tommy let out a sarcastic laugh, “Of course not.  Does anyone know?”

“I imagine,” Moira offered calmly, “the repeated attempts on Miss Smoak’s life resulted in the discovery by the Green Arrow of a clue that led to the ship.  After all, both attempts were sloppy and ill-conceived.”

Conrad threw Moira a grateful look as she diverted attention from him.  She ignored him completely.  Malcolm looked at Moira with amusement as she turned Tommy’s focus back to his failed attempts to remove Felicity from the picture. 

“It’s possible.  However, those men have been eliminated for their failure.  Any “clue” is a dead end,” Malcolm replied with a shrug, his amusement plain for others to see. 

Moira didn’t react to the news that more men were killed in furtherance of their plan.  She simply nodded in her head.

“Then the ship, since he was unable to get into the hold, should be a dead end as well,” she replied.

“If it wasn’t, it is now.  I ordered the ship to leave port this morning, your time,” Jin shared from China.  “A final inventory report will be sent to me later this evening, my time.”

“At least someone did something right,” Tommy said sarcastically, sitting in his chair, his temper spent.  “We are mere weeks away from implementing our plan to clear the Glades and reclaiming it for Starling City.  We will become the single point of entry to this country from Asia and Eastern Europe.  Each one of us has a stake in this whether personal or financial.  Do you even remember what you are here for?  Or has it been so long that you’ve forgotten?”

No one answered the rhetorical questions and Tommy nodded.

“While the ship will prove to be a dead end, we now have the Green Arrow in our business.  I do not doubt it has to do with Felicity Smoak and the information she has in that brain of hers.”

“We still don’t know what exactly Miss Smoak has knowledge of,” Conrad pointed out. “And her time as our guest failed to illicit any information from her.”

 _Guest? Is that what we are calling her kidnapping and torture_ , Moira thought with disgust, her gaze, as she met Tommy’s stare revealing nothing of her inner thoughts.

“Do any of you think it’s a coincidence that within days of starting her position at QC, the NSA suddenly turned their focus to one of our off-shore accounts?” Tommy asked the group, his eyes never leaving Moira’s.

“Did they?” asked Jin from China, his voice seeming to echo over the phone line.  “Why were we not told?”

"It was unclear at the time,” replied Tommy, “but now have confirmation.”

“Wait, are you telling us that we arranged for that girl’s kidnapping on a suspicion she saw “something” and reported it to the NSA simply because she worked for them?” Isabel asked, her eyes snapping.

“Does it matter? The risk of discovery outweighed the need for solid confirmation.  I made an educated guess and was correct.”

“Yes, it is confirmed,” said Blair, and no one questioned his veracity.  With vast connections in local and national politics, it was likely Blair’s information came directly from the Director of the NSA. 

“We should have waited for that confirmation,” Isabel argued, “and then taken her.  We wouldn’t be in this situation now.  What information did she give them?”

“We don’t know,” Malcolm said and at last Tommy stopped staring at Moira to give his father a dirty look.  Moira stifled the urge to breathe a sigh of relief.  Looking at him, it was hard to imagine him as the sweet boy who used to run across the manor’s grounds with Oliver, wreaking havoc with the staff both in and outside of the house.

“All we know,” Blair interrupted, “is that the NSA discovered our off-shore account funding the factory in China.  We don’t know what prompted them to look at that account.  Apparently, it has to do with some program the NSA has, but I’m unable to derive any additional information on that program.”

“So how does Miss Smoak play into this?” asked a puzzled Conrad.  Tommy resumed staring at Moira. 

“Miss Smoak used to work for the NSA prior to QC,” Moira answered quietly.  The members of the Cadre turned to look at her as one.

“And you hired her?”

“I did not, HR did.  She is extremely qualified. Over-qualified even.  It wasn’t until the account was targeted did I realize she could be involved.”

“Why would you think she was involved?” asked Jin over the phone.

“Because,” Moira said, “shortly before the NSA targeted the account, Miss Smoak was in my office providing IT support, along with three other members of the IT department.  The executives were undergoing a hardware and software upgrade.  Equipment was brought in and the old equipment removed.  Everything was swept into boxes, including, we suspect, my copy of the book.  Despite a thorough search of the IT department, I’ve been unable to locate it.”

“Felicity Smoak has your book?” asked Blair.

Moira sighed, the first sign of emotion from her.  “I don’t know.  Like I said, I’ve been unable to locate it. And thus far, other than that account, nothing else has been compromised.”

“Wait,” Isabel said, holding up a finger.  “Miss Smoak is kidnapped without our consent, tortured, and then rescued all on the possibility that she may have information of our project? And the two of you,” she added, pointing to Moira and Tommy, “decided it would be better to not tell the rest of us that we were potentially compromised because Moira lost her book?”

Moira said nothing; instead, she turned to Tommy, clearly indicating the person responsible for the decision to withhold this information from the rest of the Cadre.

“I acted in the best interest of the Cadre,” he stated calmly. “Once Moira told my father and I her book was missing, we reviewed the employee records from IT and discovered the connection.  I couldn’t leave anything to chance.  If she had the book, if she read it, understood it…well, we were all at risk.  What’s done is done.”

“It was messy,” Moira pointed out, “as messy as the failed assassination attempts.  It was obvious from the beginning that she didn’t know anything.   Until the day she was rescued, her answer to your questions was always the same. She didn’t know.”

“She worked for the NSA, of course she could withstand our methods.”

“She was an analyst, Tommy, not an agent with the CIA.  A computer programmer who did nothing more than sit behind a desk and analyze data.  Frankly, your theory that she is mole is laughable.  Have you even seen her? She's a frightened mouse," Moira said with amusement, giving Tommy a patronizing smile.  Blair and Conrad looked down, covering their smiles.  Only Moira managed to reduce Tommy to the child he once was and if the look on Tommy's face was any indication, he knew it and despised her for it.

“We should leave her alone. Not draw any additional attention to our plan,” Malcolm suggested and Moira looked at him, her surprise in this show of support evident.  She quickly wiped her face of all expression.  What was Malcolm up to?

“It’s too late for that,” Tommy replied. “A.R.G.U.S. is on high alert, tearing up every source to find out why their agent was taken.  Once they realize it relates to a past mission involving the NSA, they’ll connect the dots quickly, leading them back to Miss Smoak.  It has taken us years to gain the ground we have in the Glades, to wrestle the territory we now occupy from years of gang ownership.  We own it all but one and soon we shall have that one as well.  I will not see those years go to waste.”

“Killing her now will only bring more attention,” Isabel said in warning.

“I agree, but there are other ways to make Miss Smoak disappear.  To leave Starling City and never return.”

Moira tuned the group out but maintained an attentive expression.  Bringing Oliver into the Cadre was no longer an option.  Tommy was right; he was a different man whose conscience dictated his choices.  She was so proud of him, proud that he was so much better than her and Robert.  She still had to keep him and Thea safe though.  One wrong move on her part could bring the attention of the Cadre on her.  Moira refused to be subjected to the same lesson as the Kingston’s.  Her children would not pay for her mistakes.

* * *

“Do you ever have nightmares?”

Oliver stirred at Felicity’s unexpectedly personal question.  They stood in the lobby, staring out to the portico bathed in sunshine.  It was just after ten in the morning and, as was their custom, they met in the lobby to go for coffee.  At least, that was always there goal.  Since the attempt on Felicity’s life at the press conference, they had yet to make it outside.  Each day they stood in the lobby, talking idly of the weather, recent news, or the latest company gossip, so long as that gossip wasn’t about them, and staring outside.  Felicity would then glance at her watch and with a shake of her head; they would silently part ways and return to their respective offices.  Each day though, they stood a bit longer in the lobby.  Today, they had been mostly silent.  Until now.  Oliver glanced down at her from where he stood beside her, hands in his pockets.  There was the slightest hesitation in her voice, as if she wasn’t quite sure she should ask.  She didn’t look at him, keeping her gaze fixed outside.  He could avoid the question.  He was a master at avoidance.  A master.  Perhaps it was time to try something new.

“Every now and then,” he shared and it was the absolute truth.  He still had nightmares.  Not as frequently as when he first came home, but they still came, especially if he was tired.  Or, and it made him uncomfortable to even think about, if he was scared.  He never slept as deeply as he did before the island.  So when a nightmare invaded his sleep, he almost always woke himself before it could take hold.  There were some nights, however, that exhaustion took hold and he could not wake himself.  Those nights were bad, him waking to his own shouting, the soft knock at his door and his mother’s voice asking if he was alright.  He always said he was fine.  Always.

“Are they about the island?” she asked softly, her voice gentle.

“No,” Oliver paused a moment before continuing, “I wasn’t….. _always_ on the island.”

Oliver surprised himself with that admission.  He never spoke of the island and the fact that he wasn’t on it for the entire time he was gone.  He suspected that Diggle knew as much, but he never admitted it to anyone.  There was something about Felicity, though, that seemed to pull these admissions from him.  He knew his secrets were safe with her; that she would protect them as fiercely as she protected her own. 

“Hmmm….I thought as much,” Felicity said and although her curiosity was evident in her voice, she didn’t ask the questions that were likely at the tip of her tongue.  “Are your nightmares about the wounds that gave you those scars?”

Oliver didn’t answer right away.   He could hear the past in his mind, recall with perfect clarity the first time he endured torture, mere weeks after being deserted on the island.  With equal clarity, he recalled the first time he took a life and every life thereafter.  Every day, those lives weighed on him.  No justification, no matter how righteous, made their deaths any easier to bear. So he walked in darkness.  Alone. 

“They are about a number of things.”

His tone indicated that he was done talking about his nightmares.  He couldn’t help the curtness of his response.  Felicity remained silent and he was about to apologize for being abrupt when she did something unexpected.  Without looking at him, she slipped her arm through his and leaned against him for a moment.   It was over in seconds and but for the fact that he was so very aware of every move Felicity made, he might have thought he imagined it.

“It’s nice the sun is out, after all the rain,” she observed and Oliver couldn’t help but smile.  This was Felicity.  He briefly wondered what she was like before she was kidnapped, but then dismissed the thought immediately.  It didn’t matter.  This was who she was now and he could admit to himself, if no one else, that she captivated him.  Felicity sighed but made no move to leave the lobby.  Glancing at his watch, he realized they had been standing there for 20 minutes.  He eyed Felicity and then decided that this time it may be a good idea to push.

“You promised to buy me coffee,” he reminded her.  Felicity gave him a look before returning her gaze outside without saying anything.  Oliver decided to try a different tact, turning to skills that he and Diggle were teaching her. 

“Tell me what you see.”

She was quiet for so long that Oliver thought she was going to answer.  Then she spoke, and her answer told him that she was seriously considering taking that first step outside. 

“Traffic is light which is normal for this area and this time of the morning, most people having reached work or morning meetings.  A red cab with the symbol of interlocking keys has driven by twice since we’ve been here, probably hoping for a fare.  There’s a man on his cell phone across the street.  He was already there when we came down.  Looks like he is arguing with whomever he is speaking.  Another man just arrived at the bus stop, probably waiting for the downtown circulator which runs every ten minutes and should be coming any minute now.  The rest appear to be normal people going about their business.  I didn’t see any repeat passersby.”

Oliver nodded in approval.  “Good.  Anything else?”

“No.”

“You looked at your eye level.”

“Dammit,” Felicity sighed and he didn’t say anything knowing she was looking at the roofs and windows of the buildings across the street.

“Clear.  But I can’t say the same for this side of the street.”

“Good.  Most snipers will look for a vantage point from across where you are exiting; confirm the subject is in sight.  A position on the same side of the sheet makes verification more difficult.”

“I forgot to look up. That’s a costly mistake.”

Oliver sighed because she was right but he didn’t want to tell her that.  It was a costly mistake, but not necessarily in this instant.  There was no easy answer. Perhaps that was the point though.  Nothing about this was easy for her. Or him.  There was nothing “fun” about teaching Felicity how to be aware of her surroundings in a way that went beyond the normal “never walk alone at night” lessons everyone learned growing up.  There was nothing “fun” about teaching Felicity how to walk in a world where a faceless evil was looking to kill you.  He almost refused to teach her but then he recalled when he began learning how to fight on the island.  The sense of empowerment it gave him and if learning these skills gave Felicity even a fraction of that feeling, then he should be the last person to prevent her from learning.

“Yes. and that is why you don’t go anywhere alone until checking your surroundings becomes second nature.  And it will become second nature.”

“I don’t know if that is a good thing or not.  It seems an almost paranoid way to live.”

Oliver glanced down at Felicity again as she once again took him by surprise.  Despite her intensity as he and Diggle taught her about this life, a part of her still remembered, maybe even craved, a simpler, more innocent life.  He learned something new about her almost every day.  And what he learned never failed to surprise him.  He wondered if there would ever be a time when she didn’t surprise him.  He hoped not.  He liked not knowing what to expect when he was with her.  He also liked that not knowing, did nothing to change how at ease he felt with her.

“I suppose so,” he acknowledged, “but in our line of work, it’s a necessity and in particular, while your life is still in danger, a must.”

“Do you still look up every single time you go outside?” she pressed and he chuckled.

“I did when I first came home.  I don’t anymore, unless I’m with you or out doing, well, you know.”

Felicity nodded and then gave an audible sigh.

“I don’t know, Oliver,” she said softly, and looked down at her feet.  Dejected. Ashamed.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he reassured her softly.  “We’ll try again tomorrow.”

“I should be able to do this.  Walk to get coffee.”

“You will.  Soon.  When you’re ready.”

“It’s been weeks.”

“But only days since the press conference.”

Felicity laughed hollowly.  She turned to face him, her expression troubled.  He turned as well, keeping his hands in his pocket.  He wanted to take her in his arms.  Soothe the pain away; make it better, easier.  He was so tempted to do just that.  He curled his fingers into fists, and kept his hands where they were.

“What if I can never go outside again?”

“You already go outside.”

“You know what I mean.  It’s not like I was snatched off the streets in broad daylight.  They took me from my own home.  You would think I would be more afraid to stay inside.”

“Doesn’t always work like that.  Sleeping on the island? It was always a risk.  Not exactly a plethora of  secure locations to choose.  When I came home, I couldn’t sleep in a bed for months.  I needed the floor and an open window.  After years spent sleeping in the open, I felt confined, trapped even.

Felicity nodded thoughtfully, considering his words.

“Trapped.  That’s what I feel like, but not trapped inside physical walls.  Rather, trapped by my own fear.  By my own mind and the horrors it conjures in the wake of all that’s happened.  That fear still dictates parts of my life.”

“Only if you let it, Felicity,” Oliver reminded her gently.  No matter what happened in the next few minutes, whether they went for coffee or not, the decision was hers and hers alone.  He could only encourage her, support her, he would not force her.  But neither would he make it easy for her to walk away from facing her fears.  Besides, she would know if he did and her disappointment in him would be evident.  He did not like being on the receiving end of Felicity’s looks of disappointment.

She looked outside and Oliver could almost see the thoughts churning through her mind.  He studied her profile, the elegant sweep of her cheeks, the gentle slope of her nose, the fullness of her lips.  He breathed her in deeply and the scent of her swam over his senses.  The light freshness of it, like a spring rain, gentle and cleansing, calming him in a way nothing else could.  Oliver shook his head at the poetic thoughts that flitted through his mind.  This was new for him; something fragile that he was afraid he would destroy with his clumsiness.

Felicity suddenly started walking towards the revolving doors and Oliver scrambled to catch up.  He managed to catch her before she walked out so he could go ahead.  Stepping outside, he looked around the plaza where QC stood, senses on alert.  Felicity stepped out next to him and he immediately noticed that her breathing was shallow.

“We can go back now.  You’ve never made it this far.  This is amazing, but we can go back now.”  Oliver couldn’t help himself.  The pallor of her skin, her difficulty in breathing set off every protective instinct he had and then some. 

She looked up at him, her eyes a little wild.  He saw immediately that she wanted to take him at his word and run back inside.  Only that desire was coupled with disappointment at wanting to take what she considered the easy way out.  There was, however, also determination in her eyes to conquer this fear.

“Just….” She couldn’t finish what she was trying to say.  He saw the fingers on her left hand were rubbing together, and he recognized the nervous gesture for what it was.  After all, he did the same thing. He moved over to her left side, and reaching down he took her hand in his, closing his fingers around it gently.  He rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand and her fingers clenched around him reflexively.

“As Diggle told you, we met when he was hired by my mother to be my bodyguard.  What you don’t know was how annoyed I was because obviously a bodyguard was going to make it more difficult for me to slip away to, well, you know,” Oliver began conversationally.  Felicity looked up at him in surprise, but said nothing.  So he continued, taking a small step forward.

“I immediately decided that I would make his job a living hell until he quit or my mother fired him for incompetence,” Oliver continued, taking another step.  With her hand in his, she had no choice but to take a step forward.  He didn’t think she noticed so he kept talking while taking small steps towards the sidewalk.

“I was absolutely certain Diggle would be unable to keep up.  Wrote him off as a typical Jarhead,” Oliver shared, keeping his tone light as they stepped out onto the sidewalk.

“Wait,” Felicity interrupted, “aren’t Jarheads Marines? I thought Diggle was in the Army.”

“Do you want to hear this or not?” Oliver said and Felicity rolled her eyes at him.

“So I wrote him off as typical grunt,” Oliver emphasized the correct moniker and Felicity smiled.  “Of course, in all fairness, he didn’t take me seriously either.  He immediately categorized me as some errant, spoiled playboy.”

“Imagine that,” Felicity murmured and Oliver shot her a look. 

“So, I ditched him that first day as he was driving me into town.  Rolled right out of a moving car.  And I ditched him again the second day after I told him I needed to use the restroom.  After that last time, Diggle told me in no uncertain terms that from that point forward, he would be watching me pee.”

Oliver was absurdly pleased when Felicity giggled.  He was also absurdly pleased that she hadn’t noticed they were now strolling down the sidewalk toward the Starbuck’s that made her favorite lattes.

“So did he?” she asked, completely immersed in the story he was telling.

“Oh, yeah.  Very weird.  Don’t tell him I said so, but I do believe I suffered from performance anxiety.”

“Please. I doubt you’ve ever suffered from performance anxiety.”

Oliver couldn’t help his laughter at the mortified expression that came over Felicity’s face at her words.  He pulled open the door to the coffee shop and her expression turned to one of surprise.

“After you,” he said, smiling, squeezing the hand he still held.

“I did it,” she said in wonder, squeezing back.

“Yeah, you did.”

They stood in the bright sunshine, smiling broadly at each other.  In that moment, that utterly beautiful, perfect moment, Oliver knew that finding Felicity was singularly the most important thing he’d done since returning from the island. 

* * *

Felicity was still riding high later that evening as she began wrapping up for the day.  She was just about to call her security detail to let them know she would be down in ten minutes when the door to the IT department opened.  She smothered a sigh at the last minute interruption to the end of her day.  Looking up, she met the eyes of an incredibly handsome man staring at her intently.  He perused her slowly and a sliver of unease snaked its way down Felicity’s back.  She slowly lowered the receiver of her desk phone back into the cradle.  As she moved her hand down to her side, she surreptitiously swiped her cell phone from her desk and into the palm of her hand.  She never let her eyes drop, holding the man’s gaze the entire time.  Her unease grew, yet there was nothing overtly threatening about the man.  He broke into a charming grin that she did not doubt had most women falling at his feet.  She wasn’t most women.  Not anymore.  Felicity tightened her grip on her phone.  Time to send him on his way.

“I’m sorry; I was just wrapping up for the day.  Please fill out the online ticket for support and I’ll be sure it’s addressed first thing in the morning,” she directed smoothly, keeping her voice pleasant.  She took pride that none of her unease filtered into her tone.  Felicity didn’t doubt that this man was used to getting his way and she waited for some type of argument or excuse as to why his problem must be resolved now.  Instead, the man simply laughed and shook his head.

“Oh, no, I don’t work here.  I’m here to meet you.  I’m Tommy Merlyn,” he introduced himself and Felicity’s mind placed his name immediately.  Thomas Merlyn, the son of Malcolm Merlyn, heir apparent to Merlyn Global, playboy extraordinaire, second to none but one other.  His best friend. Oliver.  Oh.

“Me? Why would you want to meet me?” she asked, eyeing his hand.  She tried to force herself to take it, to be polite, but she couldn’t.  Every instinct was telling her to back away and call for help.  Stop being ridiculous, she thought, take his hand.  This is Oliver’s friend.  _Take. His. Hand._  She finally shook his hand, as briefly as manners would allow and then pulled away.  He tried to hold on, but she slipped her hand away quickly.  Her fingers twitched as she resisted the urge to wipe her palm on her skirt.  Tommy continued to smile affably at her, but Felicity noted a piercing sharpness in his gaze.  _You just think you see something_ , she lectured herself.  _Get. It. Together_. 

“Why wouldn’t I? I’ve been dying to meet the woman that so thoroughly captivated my friend.  I haven’t seen him this far gone since Susan Howard let him see her brand new breasts in sixth grade.”

Felicity blinked in surprise and a reluctant smile crossed her face.  Tommy smiled more broadly, pleased that she seemed to be relaxing. 

“Sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Merlyn, but Oliver is most certainly not captivated by me,” she replied.

“Please call me, Tommy.  And yes, you have.  He refuses to talk about you and that, Felicity….may I call you Felicity?  Well, that piques my curiosity.  Why is he so secretive?”

“Perhaps because there is nothing to tell?”

Tommy threw his head back in laughter.  “I like you, Felicity.  I like you very much.”

“Thank you, Mr. M—Tommy.  But if you don’t mind, I was just heading out.”

Felicity reached for her coat without giving Tommy her back.  No matter the teasing, or the laughter, there was something about Tommy that rubbed her the wrong way.  Granted, it could simply be because he was someone new and she was still hesitant around strangers, but the visceral reaction she was having to his presence told her not to ignore her instincts.

“I’ll walk with you,” Tommy offered, holding the door open.

“That’s not necessary,” Felicity said, trying not to panic.  She did not want to be alone in an elevator with him.  _I’m being ridiculous_ , she thought, _absolutely ridiculous.  This is Oliver’s friend.  His best friend_.

“But aren’t you supposed to be accompanied at all times?” Tommy asked with confusion. “I mean, Oliver said you had a security detail now.” 

Felicity looked at Tommy in surprise.  Why would Oliver discuss her security arrangements with Tommy? And why wouldn’t he mention that to her?  Or for that matter, why hadn’t he mentioned that Tommy was back in town?

“I’m fine,” she said, not answering his question.  She swept past him into the hall, making every effort not to touch him.  He followed closely behind her.   Too closely, as if he knew his proximity unnerved her.  Felicity walked briskly to the elevators and pushed the down button, intending to take the car to the lobby vice the garage.

“I’ll ride down with you as far as Oliver’s floor.”

“He’s five floors up,” Felicity pointed out and Tommy grinned again. 

“Caught me.  Was hoping to pry your secrets from you during the elevator ride.”

There was no doubt that he was charming and despite her unease, Felicity couldn’t help the second smile that tugged at her lips.  The elevator bell sounded and the doors opened.  She was about to step in when someone else stepped out.  Oliver started to smile but something about her expression must have tipped him off.  That was when he noticed Tommy.

“Tommy? What are you doing here?” Oliver asked, his glance shifting between his friend and Felicity.  Felicity felt relief flood her system and she wanted nothing more than to move over to Oliver’s side.  Before she could put her thought into action, Tommy threw an arm around her in a half embrace.  She stiffened and her face paled at the contact.  Her heart was hammering and Felicity felt fear pounding at her.  She didn’t understand.  She hadn’t felt fear of this magnitude since her first night in the hospital.  _I am not that person any more_ , she reminded herself.  _I’m stronger, better_.  She saw Oliver give her a concerned look but refused to meet his gaze.  He would see the depth of her fear and she didn’t want him to give Tommy any more ammunition. 

“I came to meet your girl,” Tommy teased, his hand moving up and down Felicity’s arm.  She tried to pull back but Tommy simply latched onto her more firmly.

“I’m not his–” she began in objection.

“She’s not my –” Oliver said at the same time.

“Girl,” they finished together and Felicity finally met his eyes.  His eyes narrowed and he looked at Tommy’s hand.  She knew he was about to do something so she quickly took action.  She dropped her phone and it hit Tommy’s foot.  As he glanced down, she took the opportunity to slip out from under Tommy’s arm to stoop and pick it up.  She moved away as she came up, putting a safe distance between her and Tommy.

“Sorry about that,” she said, holding up her phone.  “It slipped.”

“No worries,” Tommy replied before turning to Oliver.  “Actually, I was really here to see you, Oliver.  Drag you out for drinks.  Found this martini bar just down the street and thought we should check it out.  Come to think of it, I’m not even sure how I missed it to begin with.”

 _Oh thank God_ , Felicity thought. _Please go now. Just get in the elevator and go. Both of you.  I need to process this._

“Sounds good.  You headed out now?” agreed Oliver, glancing at his watch.  Tommy nodded and then his eyes narrowed and a sly smile crossed his face. 

“Wait, what are you doing down here?” Tommy asked and Oliver laughed, shaking his head.

“You never give up, do you?  This is the IT floor, Tommy.  Why else would I be here?  I came down to drop off my company cell. My e-mail isn’t syncing,” Oliver held his Blackberry out to Felicity who took it silently. 

“Sure,” Tommy said, giving them both a grin.  He pushed the elevator button and the doors reopened.  He stepped inside.  “Coming?”

“Need to get my wallet. I already know you came without one,” Oliver said and pushed the up button. 

Tommy laughed again, “I never do when I’m going out with you. Meet you in the lobby.”

The doors closed, shutting out Tommy’s laughter and Felicity breathed a sigh of relief.

“Your friend,” she began and Oliver shook his head.

“I’m sorry, Felicity.  Tommy can be a bit much if you don’t know him.  But you won’t ever meet anyone more loyal,” Oliver apologized for his friend. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. He was a little intense. And he laughs.  A lot.”

Oliver cocked his head to the side, studying her intently.  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” she repeated.  “He was just a bit much.”

She and Oliver exchanged a long look and he frowned.  He glance back at the elevator doors and then back to Felicity.

“Tommy would never hurt you, Felicity.  The pictures, the gossip…he’s like a little kid.  He was curious and when he didn’t get anything out of me, he decided to go looking for answers elsewhere.  Coming here tonight proved too much of a temptation.  Of course, he was going to find you. ” 

She nodded in understanding but said nothing.  She couldn’t talk about this feeling she had about Tommy with Oliver.  Not yet.  This was his best friend.  Someone he grew up with and Oliver has only known her for two seconds.  She also needed to process this, to understand why her fear skyrocketed tonight.

“Felicity –”

“Is your phone really messed up?” she interrupted, holding it up.

“No,” he answered, taking it from her and putting it back in his pocket.  He seemed about to say something else, so Felicity spoke before he could.

“I want to go home.”

Oliver studied her for a moment and then pushed the down button.

“I’ll walk you out,” was all he said and she nodded, relieved that he didn’t push.  They stepped into the elevator and when the door closed, Oliver pressed the button for the garage.  Felicity felt uncertainty nag at her as they rode the car in silence.  Finally, not able to bear this silent distance between them, she took a small step closer to Oliver.   After a moment’s hesitation, he slipped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.  She leaned into him and she felt him exhale, telling her without words he felt the distance too.  Felicity closed her eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity discovers information about The Cadre.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for your patience between updates. Life keeps me busy and more often than not, fandom life takes a backseat. 
> 
> I am in no way an IT expert. In fact, I have very minimal knowledge, so suspend reality on that front.
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

Tommy stood at the bank of windows in his father’s office staring over Starling City towards the Glades. From his vantage point, the buildings of the Glades appeared innocuous, pristine even as the late morning sun glinted against windows of buildings long abandoned. He knew too well, though, the violence the Glades hid in her shadows, the depth of depravity of its inhabitants. Death and destruction, that was all the Glades was good for; the death of loved ones, the destruction of families and not necessarily in that order. Tommy sipped at the coffee he poured while waiting for his father to return, his thoughts turning to the past. The day his father brought him into the Cadre was seared into his memory. Oliver’s “death” was still fresh, painful even. He spent weeks in a drunken stupor. One morning, after a particularly hard night out, his father walked into his bedroom, dragged him across the room and into the stream of a cold shower, and told him to be ready, in business attire, in twenty minutes. The drive to his first meeting with the Cadre was accomplished in silence. When Tommy walked in, he was surprised to find Moira, eyes heavy with grief, seated at a round table along with Conrad Prescott.

The history of the Cadre was explained to Tommy, the goal and the plan to accomplish that goal. In the wake of the violent death of Rebecca Merlyn, Tommy’s mother, and the seemingly never ending stream of violence that was beginning to spill into downtown Starling City; Malcolm Merlyn decided the Glades needed to be destroyed. No, more than destroyed; eradicated from the face of the earth and the people along with it. A design this large in scope wasn’t for one man alone so he turned to his closest friends, the Queens. Capitalizing on Robert’s greed to build his family fortune, not to mention Moira’s indiscretion that would bring down public disfavor, he enlisted their help. The Prescotts were simply greedy and took little convincing to join the fold. However, Malcolm made sure to unearth anything that would give him leverage and Conrad’s penchant for gambling held the key. Thus, the Cadre was born. These founding families invested in the Cadre to fund their operations. The amount invested determined leadership and at the time, Malcolm out bid everyone in a secret ballot. When Tommy understood the Cadre’s vision, he was more than willing to join the venture. For the death of his mother, and more; so much more than his father even realized. However, he viewed their plan for the future of the Glades as too narrow in scope. Their vision was limited by their inability to see beyond Starling City, beyond their own shores. Tommy, on the other hand, saw an opportunity that was global in scope and one that would crush the Glades beneath his heel as well as all the members of the Cadre, but most especially Moira Queen and his father.

Slowly, over the course of two years, with moves so subtle that Malcolm failed to notice, Tommy maneuvered his way into a position of power. He quietly laid groundwork to create an “army” for the Cadre to take control of the Glades in greater increments rather than the small messy skirmishes they engaged in since its founding. This army reported to him now; and only him. Tommy then pointed out the need for eyes and ears in the Government halls of Starling City and elsewhere, ushering in the Kingstons who were fresh from the grief of losing their daughter.   Their extensive connections in the highest reaches of Government proved invaluable. And, by bringing in another family, it prompted a new ballot to be launched in which Tommy outbid all the players. The look on his father’s face was priceless and one that was indelibly imprinted in Tommy’s mind. The son Malcolm dismissed as a wastrel outmaneuvered him.  Once Tommy outlined his new vision for the Cadre, it was easy to bring in a connection from Eastern Europe in the form of Isabel Rochev; her dislike of Moira proving to be the key. He was surprised when Moira convinced Jin Cheung to represent Asia until he discovered that Jin held the key to wiping out the Glades as owner of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in Asia. Tommy was going to destroy the Glades and in the process, own exclusive shipping rights with Asia and Eastern Europe. Politically, financially, and globally, the Merlyns would be a force to be reckoned with. No, _Tommy Merlyn_ would be a force to be reckoned with. His father would be begging for scraps at his table.

“Tommy. I didn’t know you would be stopping by this morning,” Malcolm said by way of greeting as he strolled into his office. He barely spared Tommy a glance as he sat behind his desk and began flipping through the messages left by his secretary.

“I wanted to discuss a few things. I won’t be long. I have a meeting with Oliver in an hour or so to discuss some last minute construction details.”

Malcolm leaned back in his chair, the messages forgotten as he glanced up at his son.

“An awful lot of money being wasted for a club that is going to cease to exist in a matter of months,” he observed.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Tommy said. “It certainly has Oliver distracted. Besides, the club could very well survive. After all, as we rebuild the Glades, people will want a place to go, to drink, to celebrate.   Why not a club owned, in part, by one of the saviors of Starling City?”

“Savior?” Malcolm laughed, shaking his head. “You think too highly of yourself, Tommy. “

“Or you think too little of me,” Tommy replied from between clenched teeth, “but then again, you always have, since before Mom died. Probably since birth.”

“As always, your woe-is-me act bores me,” Malcolm replied, returning his interest to the papers and files on his desk, his lack of interest in Tommy’s words readily apparent.

Tommy observed his father silently, wanting to swipe the papers and files on his desk into a heap on the floor. Instead, he set his coffee cup down very carefully and then straightened his jacket, adjusting his cuffs and collar. He headed for the door and turned before leaving, remembering that he was there for a reason.

“We are taking the final territory two weeks from Saturday,” Tommy announced, “be sure all payments to officials are up-to-date, and make sure our men are ready.”

“Saturday? That’s one month sooner than planned,” protested Malcolm, giving Tommy his full attention.

“With the Green Arrow involved in our business, we need to move up the time table. Rapidly. Taking that territory will move up our ultimate objective by several months. We should be prepared to launch three months after securing the last territory vice six if we wait. Keeping to the same time-table raises our risk of discovery to a degree that is unacceptable.”

Malcolm leaned back in his chair, contemplating his son and the growing arrogance he was displaying. A sense of pride battled with the need to take back control of the Cadre. Patience, though, was needed. Tommy’s recklessness would only serve to put Malcolm back in control and Malcolm had patience in spades. Tommy did not. He remained the rash, reckless boy of his youth. Malcolm quickly considered the risks involved in moving up the time table by several weeks and determined that in this particular case, Tommy was correct; the Green Arrow was problematic.

“Everything is ready,” Malcolm finally replied. “The risks are substantially higher moving so quickly after the last event, but nothing that can’t be overcome. And as you said, the risks are even higher if we stick to the current schedule.”

“Inform the rest of the Cadre.”

“What of Felicity Smoak?”

“I’m handling it,” was all Tommy said and Malcolm laughed.

“Are you? Because my understanding is that Oliver and Miss Smoak have been seen going out for coffee and sometimes even lunch almost every day this last week. The club doesn’t appear to be distracting Oliver in that regard. How is that handling it?”

“Let me worry about Oliver. I know him better than anyone and he will tire of her, as he does of every woman he meets.”

* * *

Felicity smiled up at Oliver as he held the door to the café open for her. She stepped inside the Starbuck’s with Oliver close behind her. As she unbuttoned her coat and felt Oliver’s hands on her shoulders, helping her slide her coat off. Felicity turned to take her coat and they stood there a moment, both holding her coat, smiling at each other. She felt like a school girl with nervous anticipation swirling in her stomach, knowing, _just knowing,_ something was happening between them.

“The usual?” asked Oliver as they stood just inside the entrance. The rasp of his voice made her stomach jump and something in her expression must have given her away because the expression on his face change and he leaned slightly towards her. The bell over the door caused them both to jump and they laughed.

“Yes,” Felicity answered, still smiling. Taking her coat and his as well, Felicity left him at the counter to order their coffee. She headed towards what she considered their table in the back corner of the cafe. Perfectly situated, it allowed both of them to sit with their backs to the wall. It also was set off from most of the café, allowing them a small measure of privacy. Nearly every morning since they celebrated Felicity’s first walk outside of QC, they met for coffee. When they couldn’t meet for coffee, they met for lunch. Every day, they grew closer, talking of everything and nothing. By unspoken agreement, they never spoke about what they were doing as a team with Diggle, and the endless search for clues about the Cadre. Instead, they simply began to learn each other speaking of everything from favorite foods to the worst thing they did while growing up. Oliver was winning that last one. Of course, Felicity hadn’t told him about her hacking days while at M.I.T. That was her trump card.

Felicity took her usual seat, leaving Oliver the seat that faced the entrance. She smothered a yawn, exhaustion pulling at her. The late nights at the lair, coupled with the recent surge in nightmares, were starting to take their toll. She had been successful in hiding it thus far from Oliver, but this morning, looking in the mirror, she knew she looked terrible. She didn’t want to think about that now. This was her time with Oliver, and she wanted to enjoy it. Felicity propped her chin on one hand as she watched Oliver order their drinks. She couldn’t help but smile as the barista flirted with Oliver who appeared very uncomfortable under the barista’s attention. He was giving the barista his patented Oliver Queen smile; empty and without warmth. The barista was oblivious to how _fake_ the smile was. It never ceased to amaze Felicity that no one could see beneath his mask. At that very moment, Oliver happened to look over at her and catch her eye. She smiled sympathetically and his face transformed into something entirely different. It filled with warmth and _that_ _look_ he seemed to reserve for her alone. He winked at her and Felicity’s expression softened in return and a blush bloomed across her cheeks. She loved when he winked at her; the way his mouth would quirk upwards and the smile that shone in his eyes. From the corner of her eye, Felicity caught a glimpse of coffee cups being slid across the bar to Oliver. Felicity tipped her head towards the barista and Oliver picked up their drinks without taking his eyes from Felicity. The barista glanced over to see Felicity and the crestfallen expression on the barista’s face appeared to go unnoticed by Oliver. But Felicity saw it and had to hide her grin. _Oliver Queen strikes again_ , she thought as her mind began wandering. She was so tired.

“One non-fat latte with extra sugar,” Oliver said drily as he slid her cup across the table and Felicity laughed. Oliver watched as she cupped her hands around the cup and closed her eyes as she inhaled the scent of espresso and milk. A smile curved her lips at the scent and lingered as she savored the first sip.

“Perfection,” she sighed and leaned back in her chair. Oliver smiled, his eyes intent upon her. His smile faded as he noticed the circles under her eyes, how pale she looked and the tightness of her features. She appeared tired, more so than usual and he knew it had nothing to do with her ongoing recovery.  There was more. It wasn’t only exhaustion but as if something was troubling her. She stared into her coffee but he knew she wasn’t seeing what was in front of her. She was deep within her thoughts, oblivious to what was going on around her. She didn’t appear to notice the man at the table by the window was stealing glances at her, stopping only when he met Oliver’s glare. Nor did she seem to notice his scrutiny.

“You’re staring, Oliver,” she suddenly said, looking up from her coffee. Okay, so maybe she did notice. He smiled sheepishly as he shifted his chair closer to her, his leg bumping against hers under the table.

“You look tired. More so than usual.”

Felicity blinked at him in surprise. The fact that he noticed how tired she was did not surprise her; after all, she was very aware at how observant Oliver could be. It was the way he said it, the tenderness in his voice. She wanted to confide in him. She knew she could. Instead, Felicity deflected.

“Wow….thanks a lot,” she replied with heavy sarcasm and Oliver flushed. When it came to Felicity, Oliver often found himself floundering or struggling with words and it was public fact that Oliver Queen did not struggle when it came to talking to women. But when it came to _this woman_ , he was a blithering idiot.

“You do, though,” he insisted, leaning back in his chair, resting one arm along the back of his chair onto hers.

Hmmm,” Felicity mused, eyeing him over the rim of her coffee cup as she took another sip. “Did you tell the barista that was flirting with you that she looked tired?”

“Flirting?” Oliver asked distracted by the comment as Felicity intended. He glanced back over at the barista who sent him a flirtatious smile. He quickly looked away and Felicity laughed.

“You seem so uncomfortable when women flirt with you,” Felicity observed. “Why is that?”

“I’m not uncomfortable,” he protested. Felicity nodded, pretending to believe him.

“I’m not!”

“Mmmhmmmm,” Felicity replied, taking another sip of coffee, eyes dancing with merriment.

“Fine,” Oliver grumbled, “I am. But only because it gets tiring.”

There was silence for a moment before Felicity began giggling.

“Damn,” Oliver sighed. “That was arrogant.”

“Just a little,” Felicity agreed, her eyes sparkling at him.

“And you’ve managed to avoid the question.”

“You never asked a question.”

Oliver leaned forward in his chair, resting his forearms on the table, all humor wiped from his expression. His face was serious and Felicity’s smile faded as she dropped her gaze to her coffee. She managed to avoid this conversation all week but apparently what she saw in the mirror this morning was clearly evident to Oliver.

“What’s going on, Felicity?” he asked gently, keeping his voice quiet, not wanting others to overhear. This was a conversation for them alone and seated in the back of the café, shoulders brushing against each other, they were as private as they could be. The conversations going on around them faded into the background as did the hissing of the barista steaming milk and the sound of beans being ground for a customer.

“Nothing,” she answered pressing her fingertips to her forehead, knowing it was fruitless to continue to avoid this conversation. She was lying. He knew it. Just like she always knew when he was skirting the truth, he seemed to instinctively know when she was avoiding giving him a direct answer.

“Felicity,” he warned, shifting closer. His leg brushed against hers again, the heat of his body enveloping her. The low tone of his voice thrilled her, the gruff intimacy making her stomach once again flutter. She would never tire of hearing him say her name. The way he lingered over every syllable, especially the middle, gentling the consonants, giving it grace. She remembered the first time he said her name; how even through the voice distorter it sounded soft and warm. Right now though, the look in his eye was telling her that he knew something was wrong. She didn’t want to tell him. She also didn’t want to lie to him.

“I’m having nightmares. More than usual,” she confessed, turning her cup in circles between her hands. “I wake and then can’t get back to sleep. And so, I’ve been only getting three maybe four hours of sleep a night.”

“That bad?”

“That bad.”

“How long?”

“A few days or so, maybe more. I’ve lost track,” Felicity replied and silently prayed that he wouldn’t press. In truth, the nightmares started exactly one week ago, the night she met Tommy Merlyn. Something about him triggered a violent resurgence in her nightmares, in both frequency and horror. She didn’t understand why this was happening or what it was about Tommy that made her revisit her living nightmare over and over and in such intensity. She only knew, right now, that she wanted it to stop.

“Are they the same every night?”

“Yes,” Felicity replied, “and no. They start the same, me…in the chair….but then they change and become a blur. Voices echoing in my head, question upon question, and fear, bone deep fear. 

The dread in Felicity’s voice pulled at Oliver’s heart and he took the hand closest to him in between his own, entwining their fingers together. He studied the way their hands looked together and recalled the first time he held her hand, his encased in leather. He remembered wishing to feel her skin against his. Yes, he’s held her hand since then, but right now, the intimacy simmering between them, gave this moment a surreal air, and had his senses humming in anticipation. He could feel every calloused ridge on his own fingers as it brushed against the softness of her skin. She sighed and it was like a punch to his gut. He wanted to make her sigh again, using his lips.

“It’s not like I was nightmare free, but this….it’s different.”

“We should take a night off. We’ve been going hard at searching for information about the Cadre,” Oliver said. Felicity hadn’t considered that their hunt would be cause of her nightmares. Maybe it wasn’t Tommy. She nodded in agreement and Oliver continued, oblivious to her thoughts.

“Sometimes it works like that. Nightmares ebb and flow. Disappearing and returning. Sometimes you forget you have them and then something happens during the day and without realizing it, that something triggers a nightmare that is worse than anything you’ve experienced.”

Felicity heard what Oliver wasn’t saying. He understood what she was going through. They were quiet for a moment before Oliver spoke again.

“Felicity?” he began, “Did something else happen –”

“Well, don’t you two look cozy?”

Felicity jumped at the sound of Tommy’s voice, quickly pulling her hand away from Oliver’s. He gave her a puzzled look before turning to Tommy.

“Hello, Tommy. What are you doing here?”

“Your secretary said you were out for coffee. With Felicity. Just like every other day this week.” Tommy grinned at the look on Oliver’s face.

“I’m going to fire her,” Oliver grumbled giving Felicity an apologetic look. Felicity only raised an eyebrow.

“On what grounds?” Tommy asked, settling into the third chair at their table.

“For gossiping,” Oliver replied and Tommy laughed. Felicity couldn’t help but smile at Oliver’s disgruntled expression.

“You’ll have to fire half the company,” Felicity pointed out.   Oliver grinned at her ruefully.

“This is true,” he agreed, “but my secretary should know better.”

“The gossips are having a field day with you two. Still insisting she’s not your girl, Ollie?” Tommy teased, waiting for their denial.   Neither Oliver nor Felicity spoke.

Felicity looked up to find Tommy’s gaze resting on hers. There was something disconcerting about the way he stared at her that made her want to drop her gaze. But she would not. She would show no fear, no discomfort. She met his stare, hiding her hands beneath the table so he could not see how tightly she clenched her fingers in her lap. Everything she felt the night she first met Tommy came rushing back. The nightmares she experienced crept up on her subconscious. She couldn’t deny it or try to rationalize it. Something about Tommy Merlyn frightened her.

“Tommy, there are some things that are just none of your business,” Oliver drawled and laughed when Tommy casually gave him the finger.

“That is not a no,” Tommy persisted and Felicity wondered why he wouldn’t let this go.

“It’s the only answer you’re gonna get.”

“Felicity?” asked Tommy, smiling at her engagingly. She smiled back, burying her unease behind the mask she perfected since Oliver rescued her from _them_.

“Oh, don’t drag me into this,” she protested, holding her hands up in a gesture of surrender.

“And that is also not a no,” Tommy observed looking between the two of them. Felicity glanced over at Oliver to find him looking at her. _Let him think what he wants,_ Felicity thought as she looked at Oliver. He seemed to hear her, the look in his eye changing to one that could only be described as possessive. She held his stare, drawing strength from not only his presence but how he was looking at her _right now_. Tommy also didn’t miss how they were looking at each other.

“Hello? Sitting right here? Nothing? Hmmm…..well, perhaps I’ll engage Thea’s services in weaseling out the information.”

“Speaking of Thea, don’t we have a meeting shortly?” asked Oliver turning his attention back to Tommy, deftly changing the topic. He returned to his earlier position, his arm across the back of Felicity’s chair. He brushed a finger against her shoulder in a reassuring manner, sensing her unease. Tommy was still a stranger to her, an unknown. It would take a while for her to be comfortable.

“We do. I’ll give you a ride. Felicity, you’ll be fine walking back alone?” Tommy offered, indicating his car and driver waiting on the street outside. Felicity frowned, wondering if Tommy forgot about her security situation. She was going to agree but Oliver shook his head.

“I’ll walk Felicity back first. Grab the plans from my office and meet you at the steel mill. Thea is probably already there,” Oliver said, rising to his feet. The others did the same and Oliver held Felicity’s coat as she slipped her arms in the sleeves.

“I can wait,” Tommy said and Oliver nodded. “It was nice to see you, Felicity. I’m sorry we couldn’t talk more.”

“It was nice to see you, too.”

“Maybe next time?”

Felicity gave Tommy a noncommittal smile as she buttoned and belted her coat.   It was inevitable that she would see Tommy the more time she spent with Oliver outside the lair. She needed to get past this feeling she had about him. This fear. She hated that he made her feel this way. Hated that a stranger made her feel this way when she truly believed she was making progress. Perhaps she wasn’t as well as she thought. Perhaps she was only fooling herself. Felicity frowned as she walked out of the café ahead of Oliver and Tommy. She moved a few steps away from Tommy’s car, disturbed at the idea that she wasn’t moving forward.   She watched the way Oliver and Tommy spoke; the laughter, the ease; a familiarity that spoke of years of friendship. Why someone Oliver trusted so much made her feel uneasy bothered her.

“Give me 15 minutes,” Oliver was saying to Tommy before turning to make his way to Felicity’s side. Tommy nodded and looked over at Felicity. He gave her a broad smile and a small salute in farewell. Felicity waved before turning away, happy to put distance between them. She looked up at Oliver as they began the short walk back to Queen Consolidated.

“I could have walked back alone. I think I’m ready for that,” Felicity said.

“You’re still at risk, Felicity. The Cadre has come after you more than once. While they may have been quiet lately, I’m not taking any chances.”

Felicity nodded, and they walked in silence for a moment.

“I’m sorry about Tommy. Again. He can’t help himself. We’re more brothers than friends, sharing almost everything. I’ve been deflecting though, when he asks me about you.”

“He asks about me? Why?” Felicity asked, unnerved by the idea of Tommy trying to illicit information from Oliver about her. In addition to her security situation, she wondered what else Oliver inadvertently revealed to Tommy.

“He likes to give me a hard time, especially since I came back. It’s almost like he is attempting to make up for lost time.”

“Asking about me is giving you a hard time?”

Oliver nodded and Felicity’s brow furrowed in puzzlement. Scanning their IDs, they made their way to the elevators. They waited for a car in silence, standing close enough for their shoulders to touch. Once inside the elevator, Oliver pushed the buttons for their respective floors before turning to Felicity.

“He’s a pain in the ass, but he’s my best friend. Still, I’ll apologize for him. It will only get worse before it gets better,” Oliver continued while mentally telling himself to shut up. He was an idiot. A bumbling idiot.

“Why?” she asked still confused.

Oliver looked at the number above the elevator doors. They were almost to Felicity’s floor.

“Because Tommy knows me better than my family. Almost as well as you and Diggle, but for, well, you know…but it’s more than that. Like I said, he’s like a brother to me, and he ribs me as much as Thea.”

“Okay,” Felicity said slowly still not understanding what Oliver was trying to tell her.

“Because,” Oliver said as the elevator came to a stop. The doors began opening and Oliver felt desperation to make Felicity understand well up inside him. Something took hold of him, pushing him despite this being the wrong time. Jesus. What was wrong with him? When he didn’t continue, Felicity gave him a puzzled look as she walked out of the elevator.

“See you tomorrow?” she asked as the doors began closing. His arm shot out to catch them, stopping them from closing. There was a peculiar look on his fact that had Felicity tilting her head to the side in consideration.

“Because he knows,” Oliver said and this time Felicity caught the underlying current in his voice. His expression, his tone; it all made sense. _He’s nervous_ , she realized and that only served to make her nervous

“Knows what?” she asked, her heart beating faster as she began to realize what he was trying to tell her. The elevator began this steady beeping and Oliver cursed as he fought the automatic doors from closing. She put her hand out, both of them attempting to keep the doors from closing between them. It was a futile attempt though as the doors did what they were supposed to do.

“That I like you, Felicity. _I like you_ ,” Oliver burst out as the doors closed between them. Felicity’s mouth dropped open as she yanked her hand away. She waited to see if the doors would re-open. When they didn’t, a sound that was a cross between a laugh and a frustrated growl escaped her.  Only Oliver would say something like and then disappear. She stood there a minute more before turning towards the IT Department. As she walked, a wide smile crossed her face and stayed. All thoughts of Tommy Merlyn and her earlier doubts about her progress vanished from her mind replaced with something far more enticing. He liked her. She giggled. School girl, indeed.

* * *

“Oliver,” Thea said through gritted teeth as her patience with her brother stretched thin after a long afternoon spent arguing with him and Tommy about the club. Of course, she won almost all of those arguments so technically she could give up. Only, she liked this idea. “You need a VIP lounge. All the exclusive clubs have them.”

“But that’s why I don’t want one. I want everyone to feel welcome here. I want everyone to feel like a member of this place; whether from Starling City proper or down here in the Glades. This is the place to leave differences outside while enjoying music and drinks inside. I want the Mill to be inclusive, not exclusive.” 

“We can be both. But you need some exclusivity to attract those customers whose mere presence gives a club the stamp of approval. Why do you think that every bar or club you and Tommy venture into suddenly becomes the hottest spot in town?” Thea replied, rolling her eyes. 

“She has a point, Oliver,” Tommy said, “Membership in a VIP program of the club owned by two of the most eligible bachelors….although I maintain I’m far more eligible than you, Oliver….will be one of the most sought after memberships in Starling City." 

Thea snorted but Oliver only shook his head; by now used to ignoring Tommy’s little quips while discussing business.

“I don’t know. I want our club to be different, unique. I though without having any exclusivity would do that; otherwise, it’s just like any other club. 

“Then make your VIP program different. Becoming a VIP could be through some unique experience. You can’t just buy your way…..” Thea’s voice trailed off as she looked around the club. Construction workers were beginning to clean up for the evening, the meeting with the site manager having run longer than any of them anticipated.

“Uh oh, Oliver,” Tommy whispered loudly. “Thea’s thinking. Again. This is going to be expensive.”

Thea ignored him as an idea took shape in her mind. She looked up at Oliver in consideration. He recognized the look immediately. It was one she would often get as a child, when she had an idea, one that she wanted to share, but one she wasn’t feeling confident about.

“Tell me,” he invited and Thea smiled nervously.

“Charity,” she began breathlessly and then rushed on to explain as both men frowned. “Initial membership may be purchased through donations to a charity sponsored by the club. The amount of the donation level determines VIP level with top donators having access to the VIP lounge. All VIPs, regardless of level, pay a monthly fee afterwards, a portion of which will go to the charity. The higher level of VIP, the higher the monthly fee, and each year, to renew, another donation to the charity.”

Thea’s words came out faster and faster as she explained, her hands waving in the air in excitement. Her face was glowing with animation and Oliver was hard-pressed not pull his younger sister into a hug.

“You think people will donate to a charity just for access to a VIP lounge?” he asked instead.

“Well, no. There will need to be some additional perks. Free drink to start the night, no door charge on certain nights, having a signature drink named after them, half price drinks on other nights, birthday perks, you know….the usual.  The more you donate, the better the perks. Stuff like that.”

Oliver studied Thea for a minute, thoroughly impressed. A VIP program linked to saving the Glades. It still only guaranteed that those with money would have access to the lounge, but they could work on that aspect of it. Perhaps add community service hours as a way to get entry into the VIP lounge.

“What charity?” he asked and she looked at him with surprise.

“You’re letting me pick?”

“Oliver, seriously?”

“Shut up, Tommy,” Oliver said to his friend good-naturedly before turning back to Thea. “Yeah. Your idea, so your choice.”

Thea though a moment and then she smiled, recalling a conversation she overheard Moira and Oliver having regarding a fundraising event for the Glades. It was more of an argument over Oliver’s behavior at some dinner party, but the charity that the event was supposed to support caught Thea’s attention.

“The schools,” she proposed. “Better yet, we set up our own foundation. A foundation dedicated to the education of _all_ Starling City children, starting in the Glades.”

Oliver didn’t say anything for a long moment before he nodded in agreement. Tommy shook his head, not understanding this side to his friend. Despite Oliver seemingly picking up where he left off prior being lost at sea, there was a difference to him. A more introspective side that Tommy originally chalked up to being alone on a deserted island for five years; only it never went away and instead, manifested itself into a more charitable Oliver Queen. His boasting of handling Oliver was an empty boast. He wasn’t quite sure how to approach Oliver anymore.

“You’re going to need someone to manage a charity,” Tommy pointed out.

“What exactly is your job here?” Thea asked in a sugary sweet tone and Oliver laughed.

“The host,” Tommy answered, pulling on Thea’s hair. She slapped his hand away as he grinned at her.

Thea couldn’t help her answering grin. As much as it sucked to essentially have two older brothers, she wouldn’t trade them for the world.   When Oliver died, Tommy stepped into his shoes as much as he could while dealing with his own grief. He kept an eye on her, bailing her out of trouble. When Oliver came back, Thea thought everything would go back to the way things were before. Only nothing changed. It was like he never came home. He remained, in many ways, untouchable. Unaffected. He tried, she saw that, but their relationship was never the same. He still saw her as the kid sister that used to follow him around. And the excuses he gave her when he was late to meet her or had to cancel where beyond ridiculous. But now, seeing him like this, settling in, involving her in something that was obviously important to him, a small kernel of hope unfurled in her heart that maybe, just maybe, her brother was finally coming back. She wondered why now. What changed?

“I’ll have the family lawyers set it up and they can manage it,” Oliver said, bringing Thea’s attention back to the club.

“This club is going to be amazing. Although at some point, we are going to need to come up with a name,” Thea said, eyes sparkling in anticipation.

“Tommy has no say in the name of the club,” Oliver immediately replied and Thea laughed while Tommy gave Oliver an exaggerated look of offense.

“I thought Biscuits was a perfect name,” he protested and Oliver groaned.

“I actually like Oliver’s name,” Thea said glancing at her watch. She picked up her purse from a nearby drafting table.

“I didn’t suggest a name,” Oliver said.

“Sure you did,” Thea replied, scrolling through her phone. “God, I’m so late. I’m supposed to meet friends at another club, check out the competition.”

“What name?” Tommy asked, also confused. Thea glanced up and smiled at their puzzlement.

“The Mill,” she replied and with a quick wave over her shoulder, she headed out of the club, texting furiously as she walked.

“It’s a good name,” Tommy conceded and Oliver nodded. He liked it, too. He heaved a sigh, running a hand through his hair before raising the clipboard he was holding. Oliver walked to the center of what would be the dance floor and looked up before looking back down at the clipboard. Tommy watched him a moment before rolling down the sleeves of his shirt. Buttoning his cuffs, he walked over to where Oliver was standing, peering over his shoulder at the sheet of paper on the clipboard. Oliver was scrawling something on the clipboard about the security systems and lighting. Tommy studied Oliver’s profile for a minute.

“You really like her, don’t you?” Tommy finally asked bluntly. Oliver said nothing and then he lowered the clipboard.

“Yes,” Oliver replied, not bothering to pretend he didn’t know to whom Tommy referred.

“She’s damaged, Oliver.”

“She’s not damaged, Tommy. You don’t know her.”

“Oliver, you don’t go through an experience like she did and come out the other end undamaged.”

“Do you think I’m damaged, Tommy?” Oliver turned to his friend in challenge.

“No! Of course not! But you’re different and your experience was different.”

“What I experienced….” Oliver stopping as he always did when it came to talking about the island. In the years since he’d been back, he never shared what he experienced with Tommy.   As far as Tommy was concerned, Oliver had been stranded on a deserted island. “She’s not damaged, Tommy.”

“I just don’t want you to get hurt. I’ve never seen you react to a woman like this in, well, to be honest, ever.”

“Unlike you, Tommy, I don’t fall in love every other weekend,” Oliver teased trying to lighten the moment but Tommy didn’t laugh. Instead, he looked at Oliver seriously.

“Love, Oliver?”

Oliver said nothing for a moment, unwilling to discuss Felicity with Tommy. He shook his head.

“I like her, Tommy. A lot.”

Tommy sighed, picked up his jacket and shrugged it on.

“She’s beautiful. I’ll give you that. But be careful, Oliver. She doesn’t have the support system you had when you returned. What’s she likely dealing with in her head would drive the strongest person insane. I wouldn’t be surprised if she decided to leave Starling City. Why stay in the city that brought her so much pain? Besides, she doesn’t have any ties to Starling City. Not like us.”

Oliver didn’t say anything and Tommy sighed again. He needed to tread carefully here. Planting seeds of doubt in Oliver’s mind about Felicity was going to be a delicate process. This was enough for now. He changed the subject.

“We still on for tomorrow night?”

“Yeah, although, how many clubs are you going to drag me to?” Oliver replied, grateful for the change in topic.

“Thea and I have a bet on who can attend the most clubs in a week. She’s winning. Can’t have that,” Tommy laughed, slapping Oliver on the back. “Let’s go home. Nothing more we can do here tonight.”

“You go ahead. Diggle is coming to get me in about an hour. Gives me some time to figure out what we are going to do about a security system and what program we want to use to manage our books and daily sales.”

“Sounds riveting,” Tommy remarked causing Oliver to laugh.

“What _is_ your job here again?”

“Ha! I’m going to bring the fun,” Tommy called over his shoulder as he sauntered out of the club. Oliver shook his head, the smile on his face slowly fading. He looked around him, amazed at the progress. He had an idea about their security, one that would bring Felicity to the club without her having to sneak in to get to the lair. Only it wasn’t just about her being able to get to the lair. It was also about her being here at the club. With him. 

Oliver winced in embarrassment as he thought about how he blurted out to Felicity that he liked her. For God's sake, who says that anymore? What a school boy move and certainly nowhere near his smoothest move. Then again, when it came to Felicity, nothing went as he expected. She threw him off his game, and the usual words he would use for a woman he was pursuing weren’t good enough. Not for Felicity. She was special. Different. She deserved special and different in return. He thought about his words to Tommy. He didn’t know what this was, this thing between him and Felicity. What he did know was that he wanted it. That he wanted to find out what it was that filled the air between them.

Oliver set the clipboard on the drafting table and moved back to the center of the club, gazing around the space. It truly was amazing. 

* * *

 

Felicity made her way through the construction site, carefully picking her way over building material strewn across the floor. Construction on the club was progressing rapidly and the steel mill no longer resembled the ramshackle of debris it was when she first saw it. While the outside was carefully repaired to continue to resemble a functional steel mill, the interior was a mix of rough brick and iron fixtures, including lighting designed to resemble scrap buckets, combined with plush velvets in the VIP seating area, sleek minimalist bar tables and stools and a smooth granite bar that spanned the length of one side of the club. The combination of design elements from two aspects of Starling City sent a clear message: Oliver Queen was attempting to unify the city in a social setting. Journalists scoffed at his intent while gossips salivated over exactly what type of clientele would frequent the club. It was no secret that the club would not be so exclusive that people living in the Glades could not afford to pop in for a drink. The Mayor of the city condemned Oliver and Tommy, stating that their club would increase violence as two vastly different socio-economic groups converged in one location.  

In the meantime, construction continued and the daily comings and goings of various contractors made it nearly impossible to slip into the lair without detection. As a result, Felicity and Diggle started arriving after workers left for the day. Diggle would drop her at what was now the delivery entrance of the club while he found alternate parking to hide their presence. They really needed to find a way to explain her presence, something Felicity was sure she figured out as the club grew closer to its opening date.

Tonight, though, was for something else. Felicity’s search program revealed an interesting pattern that shed some light on the Cadre’s purpose. She thought Oliver would be down in the lair but instead, when she stepped inside, she found him standing in the center of the club, looking around with his hands in his pockets. He turned at her arrival, his face relaxing into a smile that Felicity greedily labeled as one he saved for her alone.

“Hi,” he said, his eyes roving over her features as he walked towards her.

“Hi,” Felicity replied, smiling in return, meeting him halfway. She tilted her head back to look up at him, her own eyes soft as she gazed at him. _Yes,_ she admitted to herself, _I am gazing unabashedly at him and I don’t care. Besides, that look in his eye…I’m not alone in my gazing. And he likes me. He said so._ She felt like a school girl.  

“I didn’t expect to see you tonight.   We ran pretty late yesterday. I was going to call you when I was done here. You know. To talk about earlier.”

“Something’s come up. I thought I would find you downstairs.” Felicity kept her voice quiet. There was an air of intimacy in the club, winding its way around and between them. She didn’t want to disturb those tendrils; she wanted to wrap the hush around them, close out the rest of the world. She could feel the air shimmer with tension. The _good_ kind. A tingle of anticipation swept up her spine. _I like you._

“I was just looking around. Seeing how far the place has come. How much work we’ve done; how much work _Thea’s_ done.” There was something in his tone that caught Felicity’s attention. The way he said his sister’s name, the smile she was certain he didn’t realize that appeared on his face when mentioning her.

“You’re proud of her,” Felicity said.

“Very.”

“Have you told her?”

“She knows.”

“Oliver,” Felicity sighed and waited for him to turn back to her. “You don’t know that she knows. Tell her. Let her know you see her.”

Oliver studied Felicity for a minute as her words sank in. Felicity hadn’t met Thea yet, but somehow she knew. Somehow, she saw him struggling to find a way to reach Thea, to find a way to relate to her as an adult. So much of his and Thea’s relationship was caught between what was and what is. He struggled to connect with her in light of the half-truths he was forced to tell her and the disappointment he saw in her eyes every time he did. 

“How is it,” he asked quietly, “you see so much?”

Felicity didn’t answer, understanding that it wasn’t really a question he expected an answer to. He stared down at her and then to her surprise, reached out to brush his thumb across her cheek, his fingers light on the back of her neck. His hand drifted to her shoulder before falling back to his side.

“You said there was something I needed to see,” he murmured, and Felicity felt the air thickening as he moved closer to her. _Yes._

“Mmhmm….we need to go downstairs though.”

Felicity licked her lips and saw his eyes zero in on her mouth. She couldn’t help it; she licked her lips again and Oliver’s eyes darkened. Her heart started beating faster. _Yes._

“Diggle?”

“Parking the car where it won’t be noticed,” she breathed as she swayed closer, anticipation coursing through her. _Yes. Yes. Yes_. _I like you._

“Felicity?”

“Hmmm?”

“I’m going to kiss you.”

Oliver lowered his head toward hers, cupping her face in his hands. She gripped his forearms and he stopped a whispers breadth from her lips. She could feel his breath on her lips and she waited for him to close the distance, aching to feel his lips on hers. He didn’t move and Felicity realized that despite his desire to kiss her, he was giving her an out, a chance to stop him. She didn’t. Instead, she rose up and met his lips with hers, giving in to her own need to discover Oliver’s taste. 

The sounds of the Glades faded as Felicity lost herself in Oliver’s kiss. The intensity of the moment threatened to overwhelm her as she surrendered to every feeling surrounding her senses. His kiss was intoxicating while soft and inviting. He tasted of the richest of chocolates, dark and mysterious, and her mouth begged for more. It was exactly ash she expected. It was exactly as she feared. She knew she could easily lose herself in Oliver, giving him everything with no thought to herself. Utterly and completely. Only now she knew that she would not be alone. Surrendering herself to this moment allowed her to realize she held the same amount of power over Oliver. She could feel the slightest tremble in the arms she gripped; the hands cupping her face were light as feathers, as if he thought she would break if he held too tightly.

The sound of whistling as someone approached the club broke through their cocoon of silence. Oliver lifted his head, his hand still cupping her face as his mouth hovered over her lips a second before he brushed them again with his before pulling back. Her eyes fluttered open to meet his gaze and there was a depth of emotion in his eyes that burned through her very soul. She met his gaze openly, hiding nothing.

“Diggle,” he said, his thumbs brushing across her cheeks.

“Yes,” she answered as she moved her hands to cover his a moment before they mutually took a small step back from each other. They stayed where they were, staring at each other. The door to the club opened and Diggle walked in.

“Hey, thought you two—” Diggle stopped, studying the two of them a moment and it clicked. He hid his smile.   Concern weighed in but that was something he would address with Oliver. In the meantime though, he could pretend that he didn’t just walk into a highly charged atmosphere between his friends.

“We were just heading downstairs,” Oliver said without looking away from Felicity.  

“Uh huh,” was all Diggle said as he opened the door to the lair. Just before heading down the stairwell, he glanced back to see them following. They were holding hands. 

* * *

Down in the lair, Felicity brought a map of the Glades up on the large monitor. Using the control panel in her hands, she added a star with a date to the map and then stepped back so that Oliver and Diggle had a full view.

“Remember the first appearance of the Cadre’s symbol?” she asked and waited for them to both nod before continuing. “That star marks the first time a witness reported seeing the serpent.”

“These stars,” Felicity explained, adding a few more to the map, “are other violent events in the Glades in which witnesses described men with ski masks and a red serpent.”

The stars were scattered across the map of the Glades, each one seemingly an independent event with no connection to the other. All were spaced apart by different time spans; days, weeks, even years.

“All of these done by the Cadre?” asked Diggle.

“Yes but not all of them coincided with a ship arriving from China, as we originally thought.”

“But the ship is connected. It’s bringing a new drug into the Glades; a drug that still hasn’t hit the streets. A drug that your tests identified as a very potent drug,” Oliver reminded Felicity.

“Oh, it is connected, but that’s not the only connection to these gang fights. I took an old program I created, modified it a bit, and then created a baseline to search for similarities.”

“Program?” asked Diggle.

“Baseline?” Oliver asked at the same time. Felicity smiled at both of them.

“Yes. Basically, my program filters through data, making connections using dates, times, street names, witness names, criminal names, victims, money, etc. It finds commonalities and begins building a profile from those commonalities. It filters through data efficiently and quickly.”

“You created a program that does….well…. _that_?” Oliver asked and Diggle gave a low whistle of admiration. Felicity blushed and just shrugged.

“Anyway,” Felicity coughed, returning their attention to what she discovered. “The program detected a pattern and a commonality in all these events, plus these.”

With the swipe of a finger, the map of the Glades was populated with more stars. She then entered another command and the stars were then captured inside lines drawn on the map. The stars were now clustered inside boundaries.

“Whoa,” Diggle said in amazement as the random pattern of the stars shaped itself into something more specific.

“Whoa is right,” Oliver concurred, his eyes widening in surprise.

“This was all done by the Cadre?” Diggle inquired, his finger tracing one of the lines on the map.

Oliver frowned, “Can’t be. The same gangs are running the Glades. Their presence hasn’t changed.” 

“No, their presence remains the same, but the group calling the shots is definitely the Cadre. The commonality was an off-shore bank account. All the dirty money in the Glades disappeared into this off-shore account.” Felicity brought up a summary of each event on a separate screen.

“So the Cadre has been establishing itself for years in the Glades but for what purpose?” Oliver mused as he looked at the dates that went back as far as when he was still a boy. He read the summaries of those events and noted they were smaller skirmishes and nowhere near the caliber of precision of those events that began shortly after he was “lost” at sea. He pointed to those dates on the map.

“These appear to be the beginning,” he said, wondering what it was that brought the Cadre to the Glades. Felicity nodded in agreement.

“What about the off-shore account?” Diggle asked.

“Still attempting to trace it.”

“And what does this new drug have to do with it?” Oliver asked as Felicity placed the control panel on the table in front of them.

“More importantly, what do you and Lyla have to do with it?” Diggle remarked, his frustration evident in the tone of his voice. A.R.G.U.S. was unable to determine what prompted Lyla’s kidnapping by the Cadre. None of the cases she was working on were connected to Felicity in anyway and neither had any connection to Starling City.

“That’s the other search I’ve been doing,” Felicity said as she walked over to one of her computers that started beeping a notification. “I just can’t seem to find a connection between myself and Lyla.”

Felicity sat before her monitors and began pulling up the information her program just returned. She began to read it as Oliver and Diggle continued to study the map.

“There’s one territory not yet claimed,” Diggle pointed out and Oliver nodded.

“Mexican cartel. They control vehicle entry into the Glades. All shipments coming over land on trucks go through their depot,” Oliver said as he studied the strategic location of the Mexican cartel territory.

“Based on the pattern Felicity’s program picked up, this may be the Cadre’s next move.”

“Their last move,” Oliver added. “They control the docks and rail. The airport is City controlled so that just leaves the trucks.”

“This was pretty impressive,” Diggle remarked, folding his arms across his chest as he turned away from the map to look over at Felicity.

“Yeah.”

“So what I walked into up there,” Diggle began in a low voice but Oliver interrupted, turning to face his friend while keeping one eye on Felicity who sat with her back to them.

“This is different, Diggle.”

“Oh, I know it’s different. Because it’s Felicity. If it were any other girl, I wouldn’t even comment. So, you and I? We are going to have a few words about this.”

“Diggle,” Oliver warned keeping his eyes on Felicity.

“You like her. She likes you. I see that. I get that. But this is Felicity. And in the short time I’ve known her; she’s become very important to me.”

“To me, too.”

“Then you better be good to her.”

Oliver stirred, offended by Diggle’s meaning.

“You expect me to be anything but?”

“I know you, Oliver. You may not mean it, but you’re not exactly known for letting anyone, much less a woman, get close to you. Not even your mother or sister. Felicity knows you. Really knows you. So how you handle that, how you deal with not being able to brush her off when things get to serious? Yeah, I’m going to tell you to be good to her. Remind you that she’s not another Friday night.”

Oliver’s jaw clenched but he said nothing. He looked over at Felicity to see if she was aware of their conversation. She was staring at the screen with such intensity, he doubt she heard them. He frowned as he studied the way she sat. Her relaxed posture was gone, replaced with rigid tension. He straightened from where he leaned against one of the tables by the video screen.

“What is it?” he asked, moving quickly to her side. Diggle followed and both men looked at her screen to see the name of a bank well-known for its confidentiality of its off-shore accounts and then a string of numbers in a separate window on the same screen.

“Felicity?”

She looked up at them and there was a worried look on her face.

“I think I just found out why the Cadre took me,” she said and then focused on Diggle. “I also think it’s time I met Lyla.”

“Explain,” Oliver ordered. Instead of taking offense at his tone, Felicity latched onto it, letting the no nonsense direction anchor her.

“This program that I’m using? This _modified_ program,” she corrected, “is very similar to the one I created for the NSA.”

She pointed to a line in the string of numbers.

“This right here, this is the off-shore account. And this,” she said, pointing to another string of numbers, “is when the off-shore account was closed.”

“Okay,” Diggle said slowly, looking for the connection.

“The account was closed two days before I was taken. And this right here is a piece of the code I wrote for the NSA. They found this account using my program. For some reason, the money in this account triggered the NSA’s program.”

“So they took you because they think you work for the NSA?” Oliver asked, trying to piece the puzzle together but Felicity shook her head.

“No. I think they know I used to work for them. Their questions were almost always the same. Who did I tell, where was the book, who did I give it to. I have no idea what they were talking about, but it sounds like they knew I _used_ to work for the NSA.”

“Why not just ask you?” Oliver asked.

“Perhaps they weren’t sure?” offered Diggle, “and they were waiting to piece it together but we rescued her before they could confirm. How does Lyla tie into this?”

“This piece of the code is linked to another account at this same bank, and that account is linked back to an old case involving encoded data that I worked on for the NSA. What I didn’t understand at the time, and discovered just now was the case involved A.R.G.U.S. and the case agent was one Lyla Michaels,” Felicity replied pulling up another screen that showed the linked information. “I didn’t know; had no reason to. I was strictly a computer analyst and information specialist. I gave what I had to someone else, who gave it to someone else, who gave it to someone else.”

“Is the case that Lyla was working on connected to the Cadre?” asked Diggle, rubbing a hand across his face.

“Not that I can tell, but Lyla would know more. In the meantime, I’m searching for a connection now.

“Felicity,” Oliver began as he considered the information she just provided. “What book were they asking you about?”

“I don’t know. I never knew. They would never tell me what book.”

“It was a mistake,” Oliver said slowly as he began to realize that the reason the puzzle pieces weren’t fitting was because the pieces didn’t belong to one single puzzle. There were two separate puzzles.

“A mistake?” asked Diggle.

“Yes. Oh my God. They took you by mistake. You knew nothing about them but for some reason, they thought you did. So they took you. The why is a separate from what they are doing in the Glades.”

“I was a mistake?” Felicity said numbly. “I endured weeks of torture because some idiot made a mistake?”

Oliver knelt by her chair, turning her to face him. He took her hands in his and looked up at her.

“Maybe. Clearly, they thought you knew something. Something dangerous enough for them to take you. We need to figure that part out. Felicity, we are going to have to walk through those days leading up to your kidnapping. Try to pinpoint what you saw or heard that made them believe the risk of taking you was worth it.”

“We’ll figure it out, Felicity. We always do,” Diggle said, pulling out his phone. “I’m going to call Lyla.”

Felicity studied her and Oliver’s hands, tightly joined and resting in her lap. She realized that had Oliver not listened to Lyla, if he had not come inside her cell, she could very well be dead. They hadn’t counted on the Green Arrow. They hadn’t counted on John Diggle. They took an A.R.G.U.S. agent whose connection to the city was deeper than they could imagine and as a result, Felicity was rescued. Alive. 

“They didn’t count on you,” she said aloud, meeting Oliver’s gaze. “You saved me and now we know about them. Their ‘mistake’ is going to save this city.”

Pride swept over Oliver’s feature and he leaned forward to press his forehead against hers. He was in awe of her strength and how she managed to find something positive about an experience that would sink a normal person. Tommy was wrong; she was not damaged. She was stronger than all of them.

“You and I,” he said quietly, “are going to save this city. Together.”

* * *

It was late by the time Oliver returned home after dropping Felicity off at her condo.   After everything they discovered there wasn’t an opportunity to talk about them. Not that Oliver was worried. He smiled, remembering what it felt like to kiss her. The taste of her lingered in his memory and he wanted more. Instead, he left her at her door, with a promise.

“Tomorrow," he promised, "we will talk about us." 

"That would be good," she replied.

“I want to kiss you again. And again. And again.” he whispered, his head bent towards her and he saw the soft curve of her lips before she turned towards her door.  She stopped and turning back, raised herself up on her toes, kissing him lightly on the lips, flicking her tongue along his lips before backing away.

“Good night, Oliver,” was all she said, her eyes bright as she disappeared inside. He stood there a moment, before slowly walking back to the car and Diggle’s knowing grin. Now, as he headed towards the stairs, he found himself lost in the memory of that good night kiss, smiling like a school boy, looking forward to the next time he saw her. He was just about to head upstairs when he heard Moira's voice coming from the living room. He stopped, thinking his mother was having yet another argument with Thea. Instead, he heard Malcolm’s voice, loud and angry before it was hushed.  He moved closer to the living room, the door slightly ajar, allowing him to hear the rest of their conversation.

“Get it under control, Moira, and fast.”

“I’m not worried about it, Malcolm,” his mother replied, her voice cool and unaffected.

“You should be. Tommy is involved and you know what will happen if it doesn’t resolve itself quickly.”

“If my son –”

“Save it, Moira. Save your Mother of the Year act. Fix it.”

Oliver frowned. The heated argument between old friends would normally not concern him. He recalled a number of arguments between his father and Malcolm that always ended in laughter and a bottle of scotch. But something about this one was different. It somehow involved him and Tommy. He considered walking away, but instead he walked right into the study. Moira sat in a chair by the fireplace and she gasped as he entered. Malcolm didn’t utter a sound but the tightening of his fingers around his glass indicated that he was equally startled by Oliver’s presence.

“Fix what?” Oliver asked, arms crossed across his chest.

Moira said nothing; instead she turned her gaze to Malcolm.

“What do you mean, Oliver?” Malcolm said calmly, just the slightest edge in his voice.”

“You told my mother to ‘fix it.’ Fix what?”

There was a charged silence as the two men stared at each other. Oliver felt a piece of his childhood fall away as he held the unfiltered gaze of his best friend’s father. Hard and unyielding, neither gave ground. Oliver shed any pretense of the frat boy darling of the paparazzi, meeting Malcolm’s rigid stare with one of his own. He could see the slightest hint of respect take hold of Malcolm but he did not let it distract him.

“Oliver,” Moira said, “Malcolm was merely expressing his concern about the club. You know how he gets when Tommy starts spending his money.”

He wasn’t buying it. Like the evening of the dinner club, Oliver senses something else, something deeper, was going on here. 

“Is that it, Malcolm? Is this about the club?”

Malcolm debated, wondering what would happened if he told Oliver that this was nothing to do with the club but everything to do with Felicity Smoak.   Oliver wasn’t nearly as easy to read as Tommy. Not since returning from the island. He played the part of the eligible bachelor with panache, but Malcolm recognized a man on the edge of violence when he saw one. No, now wasn’t the time. They may very well still need Oliver at some point.

“Of course it is. What else could Tommy be into that would hold my interest? Certainly not his flavor of the week,” Malcolm smiled, tossing back the last of his drink. He set his glass on the mantel, and then straightened his suit jacket.

“The club is a nuisance, Oliver. I don’t approve, but then again, that’s probably why Tommy is involved. If you’ll excuse me, it’s late. Good night.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Moira said, and ushered Malcolm out of the study. Oliver watched them go. He know without a doubt that his mother and Malcolm were lying. He just didn’t know why.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity grow closer amidst Felicity's growing certainty that not all is right with Tommy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been ages and I am truly sorry! I hope you enjoy the update!

* * *

 

She was late.  Diggle would be arriving to pick her up any second now and she was so late.  Pulling her hair into a pony, she hurried to her kitchen.  Grabbing her purse and keys, she clamped the rest of her bagel between her teeth.  Felicity opened the door of her condo and rushed through, swearing as she dropped her keys, almost losing her bagel in the process.  As she locked her door, she turned and stopped cold, the bagel falling out of her mouth at the sight of a grinning Oliver leaning against his motorcycle.  She cursed.  That was her last bagel and she was hungry.  Oliver laughed at the disgruntled expression on her face and brought his hand from behind his back.  He held a coffee and a small pastry bag.  Felicity’s expression brightened at the sight of food and coffee. 

“I forgive you,” she said as she greedily took a sip of coffee and then opened the bag, a moan escaping her lips at the site of a donut.  Only it wasn’t any ordinary donut.  It was a _kronut_.

“For what?” Oliver asked, smiling at her obvious delight of his gift.  He picked up the bagel she dropped and stuck it in the now empty pastry bag.

“Making me drop my bagel…..Mmmm…..You remembered,” Felicity mumbled around a mouth full of kronut and Oliver laughed again.  God, the joy she made him feel.  It was like nothing he ever experienced.

“How could I forget? I spent ages listening to the virtues of the kronut.  A _fresh_ kronut,” he teased, reaching out to swipe a crumb from the corner of her lips.  He like the way she leaned towards his hand, as if seeking his touch.  He brushed another crumb from her cheek and her eyes smiled up at him, her mouth full.  She swallowed before speaking.

“Liar, it was only a minute or two and only because you brought me that sad looking excuse for a kronut from the coffee cart in the break room.”  Felicity polished off the kronut and began licking her fingers.  Oliver turned his eyes way, all sorts of naughty thoughts crossing his mind.

“Hey, that was a peace offering for bungling our first meeting.  _And_ it was the longest two minutes of my entire life,” Oliver protested handing back the coffee she passed back to him as she devoured the kronut.  Felicity rolled her eyes at him over the rim of the cup as she sipped her coffee.  She sighed in delight. It really was a perfect breakfast.  Especially the company. 

“So…..” Felicity said, eying the motorcycle Oliver still leaned on and raising a brow in question.  He dropped his gaze towards his feet with a smile and shrugged his shoulders.  Felicity couldn’t help but smile at the boyish gesture.

“Thought I’d give you a ride to the lair,” Oliver explained.  “Show you the club in daylight.  Diggle will meet us later, have a training session with you before Lyla returns home.  Besides, there’s something I want to ask you about the club.”

“Mmm, that reminds me, I wanted to talk to you about the club as well, and the sneaking around I have to do nowadays.”

“So is the bike okay? We can talk when we get to the club.  About everything, including us,” Oliver added.  He looked down at his bike and then back at Felicity, suddenly recalling that the last time she rode on it.  She was undoubtedly reminded of her would-be assassins and her discovery that he'd been lying to her.  Perhaps this wasn’t the best idea.  Felicity was also remembering their last ride but instead of recalling her would-be assassins or discovery of Oliver's other life, she remembered the thrill of the wind rushing around her, arms clasped around Oliver’s waist and the warmth of his back, and the feeling of utter safety. 

“The bike is perfect,” she said and the smile on his Oliver’s face was its own thrill.  She looked down at her cup and then around her, spying her neighbor’s garbage can.  Grabbing the pastry bag from Oliver, she tossed it and the coffee cup inside and turned back to Oliver.  He stood with the extra helmet in his hands, waiting.  Felicity reached to take it from him but he prevented her from pulling back by holding onto it.  They stood facing each other, the helmet between them.

“Good morning,” Oliver said softly, his head bent towards her, breathing in her closeness.  Felicity’s gaze softened as she stared at his lips.

“Good morning,” she whispered, anticipation at another kiss tingling through her.  Oliver’s head lowered and Felicity met him halfway, their lips meeting in the sweetest of morning kisses, bright with the shine of something new and precious.  They made no move to embrace, keeping the helmet between them.  As they slowly parted, they smiled as their lips lingered on the other, savoring the lightest of touches.   They stood there for what felt like an eternity, yet also too short of a time, trading small kisses, before they pulled away.  Still smiling at Oliver, Felicity took the helmet and after removing her ponytail, pulled it over her head.  Oliver helped her adjust it and then lifted the visor to tweak her nose.

“Cute,” he grinned and she slapped his hand away with a mock scowl.  Still grinning, Oliver put on his own helmet and swung a leg over his bike.  He held out a hand to help her balance as she settled behind him.  She slipped her arms around his waist, flattening her hand against his stomach.  He covered it briefly with one of his own before starting the bike.  He switched on the comms in the helmets.

“Hold on tight,” he said over the rumble of the motorcycle.  Felicity tightened her arms around his middle and a laugh escaped as Oliver peeled away from the curb.  She pressed herself tightly against his back, the cold air a balm on her soul.  It was cleansing.  She felt his hand on hers once more, the caress of his fingers against the top of her hand before he returned them to the handles of the bike.  He took a leisurely route to the lair, driving along the river that divided Starling City into two sections in more ways than one.  She studied the Glades as they sped past; wondering at what point it ceased being a part of Starling City.   Oliver turned to cross the river, passing a truck weigh station as he headed towards the club. 

As they approached, Felicity saw construction workers moving around the building.  It wasn’t empty.  She frowned, wondering how Oliver planned to show her the club when to her surprise, Oliver pulled up in front of the club.  She hopped off the bike, taking her helmet off, hair blowing in the wind.  She quickly pulled it back up into another ponytail, planning to dart around to enter the lair through the hidden entrance around back.  However, Oliver stopped her, snaking an arm around her waist, to pull her in close for a kiss.  As he bent his head, Felicity put her hands against his chest stopping him just before his lips touched hers. He frowned in confusion.

“Oliver!  Anyone can see!” she exclaimed, looking around and indicating the construction vehicles with her chin.  There were a few workers, grabbing supplies from the trucks.  While they threw quick glances their way, they didn’t seem overly curious.  Felicity flushed, feeling somewhat foolish.

“Is this a secret?  Because I didn’t plan on keeping it a secret, or hide it.” Oliver said a frown forming on his face, slightly angry at the idea that Felicity would want to keep _this_ a secret.  Felicity’s eyes widened and her expression turned to outrage.  She crossed her arms in front of him and glared.

“No! What kind of woman do you think I am that I would date someone in secret? I mean, I don’t even know if we’re dating or just, I don’t know, friends that kiss? But, we haven’t talked or anything and so if we’re not dating, then anyone could see us kissing and the gossip just now died down from that stupid picture,” Felicity said in a rush of words that made the frown on Oliver’s face disappear.

“Well, we’re talking now.  And yeah, we’re dating.  More than dating.  I like you.  I think you like me. And I’m not planning on keeping that a secret.”

“Of course, I like you.  I don’t kiss men I don’t like,” Felicity said, trying to keep up with Oliver, her cheeks bright red.  _Dear God,_ she thought, _this man was going to be the death of her._  “And this is the talk? Really? In front of the club? With all these people around?”

“Doesn’t matter where we talk, the result is the same.  We’re dating,” Oliver pointed out a satisfied grin on his face. “So come and meet my sister.”

“What?” Felicity squeaked as Oliver pulled her inside the front entrance of the club.  The sound of construction filled her ears and one voice rose above the clamor.  Authoritative, with a flirtatious lilt, a tiny dynamo of a girl directed the placement of furniture, appliances, and stock without missing a beat.

“Don’t you think we are rushing things? You know, meeting family?  Not that I have any family for you to meet.  And wow, that sounded pathetic, but you know what I mean,” Felicity whispered urgently, trying to free her hand from Oliver’s grip as she prattled on.  “Oliver! That was not the conversation we should have about….you know….us.  And we haven’t talked about the club.”

“That’s right, the club.  I think I found a way to avoid you having to sneak in.  Besides the fact we’re dating,” Oliver said as he guided her towards Thea.  “I could hire you….”

“As the club’s IT specialist? I had the same thought.  Agreed. And I’m not cheap. And no, I’m not doing the job for free just because we’re dating but we can talk about that later.  Can we get back to my meeting your sister as your girlfriend? Not that I’m your girlfriend, since we just started dating and for all I know we are not exclusive,” Felicity groaned, still trying to tug her hand free.  Oliver stopped, turning back to her.

“I don’t plan to see anyone else. At all. Just you. Exclusively.”

“Oh.”

Felicity stared up at Oliver in surprise.  Part of her was wondering why she wasn’t panicking at how fast Oliver was moving.  Wasn’t this what she feared?  Him taking over so completely that she lost herself? Only, as she stared up at him, she saw the doubt hidden deep in his eyes.  She tilted her head, reading him as only she could and realized he wasn’t as confident as he let on.  Oliver wasn’t sure she wanted him and just him.  Felicity reminded herself that she wasn’t the only one with scars.  She tugged Oliver back closer to her, but he didn’t move.

“Oliver,” she sighed and it was how she said it; soft and alluring as her tongue rolled over the syllables of his name that had him in front of her in seconds, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips as he took both her hands in his.  Time slowed as the sounds of hammers and saws faded away, leaving them in their own space as that ever present tension began to deliciously spiral around them, enticing and rich in promise.

“Felicity,” he breathed against her lips and he felt her lips curve into a smile.

“I know,” was all she said and he didn’t doubt that she did.  He pressed his forehead against Felicity’s, their hands tightly gripped together.

Oliver had no idea how long they stood there but it was apparently long enough to garner Thea’s attention.  There was the sound of a throat clearing and then Thea’s voice.

“Well, aren’t you going to introduce me?” Thea drawled, and Oliver knew without looking that she was grinning.

“Thea, meet Felicity,” Oliver said without looking away from Felicity who began blushing the minute Thea spoke, although she made no move to pull away from Oliver.  “Felicity, meet my annoying younger sister who will tell you nothing but lies about me so don’t trust anything she says.”

“So, you’re her,” Thea said, shaking Felicity’s hand while studying her intently.  When Thea saw Oliver standing just inside the club, staring intently at the woman before her now, she knew without a doubt that she was about to meet the reason for the change in Oliver.  Thea’s gaze swept Felicity from head to toe, before staring her directly in the eyes.  She recognized the same shadows she saw in her brother’s eyes, only Felicity’s were fresh, not yet dulled with the passing of time.  Yet, there was something else that was missing from Oliver; a spark of hope, glimmering just behind the shadows.   Thea smiled warmly.

“I’m really happy to meet you, Felicity.  Really.  And ignore him.  He just doesn’t want me spilling the secrets of his misspent youth.  And I know everything.  And I like to share.”

“Thea,” warned Oliver but Felicity only laughed.  She liked Thea immediately.  The genuine warmth of Thea’s gaze was free from artifice and that protective light in her eyes as she took Felicity’s measure only endeared Thea to Felicity even more.  Felicity took the hand Thea offered without hesitation.

“Hi, Thea, I’m glad to meet you, too.  I’m sorry to interrupt your day.  This was a bit unexpected,” Felicity replied.

“Not at all!  I’m glad you’re here.  Give me a chance to show off the club to someone who hasn’t seen it yet,” Thea said waving her hand around.  “Of course, we have a bit of work to do before opening, including installation of security system and network for the club.”

The last was said with emphasis and a pointed look in Oliver’s direction.  He only rolled his eyes but before he could answer, Felicity was already speaking.

“That’s the other reason I’m here,” Felicity said with a sheepish smile.  She hated that she was already lying to Thea.  It was the first time she had to lie about her “secret” life and she found it that it left a bad taste in her mouth.  She could only imagine how Oliver felt lying every day to his family.  “I offered to help with the security and network for the club.  It’s kinda my thing.”

“That’s right,” Thea said.  “I remember reading that you were in IT.  But you better not being doing this for free.  It’s a huge job.  You should be paid.  Don’t let Oliver con you into a discount.  Doesn’t matter how great he is in bed, no one should take this on for free.”

“Thea,” Oliver repeated through gritted teeth as Felicity turned bright red.

“I’m super expensive so it would have to be pretty fantastic sex for me to do this for free and since we aren’t having sex yet, I have no idea if he’s any good, so don’t worry, you’ll get a bill,” Felicity said without thinking and turned several darker shades of red as Thea laughed.

“Oh, I think I’ll be getting a discount,” Oliver murmured for her ears alone and Felicity felt her cheeks burn hotter as a rush of arousal swept over her.  She glimpsed up at Oliver and his own expression changed at what he saw in her eyes.  All of this did not go unnoticed by Thea and she hid her pleased smile.  To see Oliver flirting, showing his affection for Felicity in front of her made it clear to Thea that this was no ordinary relationship.  This was different, special.  Time to get to her know her, away from Oliver. 

“I like you.  I think we are going to be great friends.  Let me show you around and fill you in on what type of system I’m looking for, or at least what I want from one,”  Thea announced and without giving Felicity a chance to refuse, Thea linked her arm through Felicity’s and swept her away. 

Oliver turned to watch them go, his laughter fading but a wide smile remaining on his face.  _Family_ , he thought as he watched two of the most important women in his life chat like old friends.  A sense of peace settled over Oliver as he realized he was, at last, feeling more at home than he had in years.

* * *

 “Defending yourself against an attacker doesn’t work like how you see it in the movies,” Diggle explained after tossing Felicity, albeit gently, to the floor for what felt like the millionth time.  Felicity stood with her hands on her hips, sucking in air.  After spending the morning and early afternoon working on the security and network systems, Felicity met Diggle in the lair for training as soon as Thea left the club. 

“Shoving an elbow into the stomach, stomping on the instep of their foot, a knee to the groin?  You can’t Sandra Bullock your way out of an attack.  Yeah, they are moves you need to know and generally work on inexperienced attackers.  But these guys, Felicity? They are pros.  They will expect you to do that.  So you need to learn those moves they won’t expect from you.  They don’t know you anymore.  That’s your advantage and will give you time to do one thing,” Diggle continued as he took up position behind her again.

“Run,” Felicity finished and tensed in anticipation at Diggle’s next attack.

“Don’t tense,” he immediately ordered and she tried to relax.  Immediately distracted by her attempt to unlock her muscles, she didn’t realize Diggle was moving.  Felicity resorted to the expected, and tried to draw her arm up and back but Diggle already had hold of her harm and was sweeping her feet from under her before she could stomp on his foot.  He caught her before she could fall to the ground and once she was steady on her feet, he let her go. 

“You did it again,” Diggle admonished.  “You’re falling back on what feels safe.  On what you see in the movies.  Remember when you were in the alley and that man held a knife to your throat?  What did you do?  What was different?”

“Um, Oliver was there?”

“Felicity…..”

“Sorry,” she muttered, frustrated at her lack of progress when it came to self-defense.  Every day she trained; training her body to be faster and stronger including running with Diggle or her security team, boxing, and even learning to shoot a variety of weapons.  She could feel her body changing, muscle forming where before there had been none.  She could see improvement in her shooting despite how much she loathed guns; however, she was struggling with self-defense. 

“You need to get free and fast.  You are nowhere near ready to take on a member of the Cadre’s army one-on-one.  That will take months, if not years.  So first, you need to learn how to get free.  They won’t expect you to go for the eyes or the throat.  They will expect you do go for the cheap shots, the type you see in the movies.  So take them by surprise, and then you go for the groin because by then they’ll be distracted and surprised enough to lose some focus.”

Diggle stared at Felicity until she nodded.

“Again,” he said and Felicity dropped her hands from her waist and took a deep breath.  She focused on her breathing as Diggle dropped back.  She couldn’t see him, didn’t know when he would strike.  She kept her arms lose, her stance relaxed, pretending she was looking inside a shop window or waiting for the light to change at a crosswalk.  Suddenly, two strong arms grabbed around her and she went limp, remembering the affect it had on her would-be assassin in the alley.  She heard Diggle grunt as her slight weight was suddenly resting on his forearms.  He moved to shift her weight and she took the opportunity to spin in his arms, her fingers going for his eyes.  He blocked her move but she knew better than to stop.  Her move was considered a hit despite his block in this simulation. Felicity retreated and tried to step away to run, but Diggle grabbed her left wrist.  She didn’t try to pull her arm back, and instead turned her wrist so that her thumb was parallel to his and wrenched her hand free while using her right hand to go for his throat.  Diggle blocked her hand, another simulated contact, and Felicity found she was free. Turning, she ran straight into Oliver’s broad chest.

“Ooomph….”

Oliver placed his hands on her arms to steady her, smiling at the glowing expression on her face.  She pulled away to turn and face Diggle.  She pumped a victorious fist in the air.

“I did it! I did it!”

Diggle laughed, tossing a bottle of water her way.  Felicity was so excited that she completely missed the bottle.  Oliver caught it before it hit the floor, handing it to her.

“Nice job,” he complimented.  “I came in just as you went for Diggle’s eyes.”

Felicity smiled up at him as she took a drink of water.

“It took me several tries, but I finally did it.  Although,” Felicity mused, “I doubt I could do it again.”

“Good point,” Diggle said, glancing at his watch.  “I want to run it again, different moves.  But we’ll have to wait until tomorrow.  Lyla’s flight lands in an hour and I need to get home.”

“I’ll run it with her,” Oliver said, removing the button down shirt he was wearing.  Diggle nodded as Felicity choked on her water. 

“I can wait until tomorrow,” she protested, her eyes glued to the way Oliver’s white t-shirt clung to the muscles of his chest.  Oliver grinned, knowing she was distracted.  This was going to be fun.  So. Much. Fun.

“No, it’s a good idea to train with both of us.  Different styles lets you experiment with different moves,” Diggle said, pulling on his jacket.  “You’re getting there, Felicity.  You won’t be so easy to snatch should they try again.”

Diggle looked between Oliver and Felicity and then gave them a sly smile.

“And distraction….you need to learn how to deal with distractions,” he added.

“Lyla up for meeting tomorrow?” Felicity asked, ignoring Diggle’s innuendo.  She could feel her cheeks heating and knew they were bright red in response to his teasing.

“Tomorrow’s good,” Diggle agreed.  “In the meantime, call me if anything else comes up.”

Diggle disappeared out the back entrance of the lair, leaving Felicity and Oliver to finish training.  Felicity turned back to find Oliver waiting on the mats.  She sighed, putting her water bottle down.

“We really don’t have to do this,” Felicity said, joining him on the mats.  They hadn’t sparred in several days and Felicity knew she would be distracted by the way Oliver moved to concentrate.  And Oliver was beautiful in action.  Simply beautiful.  Now that they were, well, _dating_ , the fact she could touch him whenever she wanted was proving a difficult temptation to resist, especially with the way Oliver’s t-shirt hugged every muscle.  She wanted to peel that t-shirt off him and run her fingers over him.  Her fingers twitched and she saw him grin.  _Dammit,_ she thought, _he knows exactly what he’s doing to me.  Well, two can play at this game._   

“Yeah, we do.  It’s important.  Let’s start with some light sparring so I can gauge the progress you’ve made since I last trained with you.”

Felicity nodded and moved onto the map.  Before taking up position, she unzipped the light hoodie she’d been wearing while sparring with Diggle.  Turning her back to Oliver, she went to remove it, hesitating for a split second.  There were wounds on her arms not quite healed and while they weren’t as ugly as they were when she was first rescued, she still despised the sight of them.  They were the physical reminder that she had been too weak to fight.   Diggle’s words came back to her.  He was right.  She was not the same girl the Cadre snatched.  She was different, changed, and for the better.  She shrugged the jacket off, leaving her in yoga pants and a tight sports tank.  _At least the tank hides the scars on my back,_ she thought.  Turning, Felicity saw Oliver was immediately distracted by the way the tank hugged her body and more importantly, pushed up her breasts.  He didn’t even look at her arms.  She fought back a pleased smile, all thoughts of her wounds disappearing from her mind.

“Well? Are we doing this?” she asked, giving Oliver an innocent smile.  He shook his head, his expression telling her he knew exactly what she was doing.  She arched a brow as she arched her back a bit and watched Oliver’s gaze drift back to her breasts.  _A boob man? Really? I would have thought legs,_ Felicity thought before snapping to attention.  Oliver was refocused and motioning for her to begin. 

They began circling each other and after a moment, she lunged with her right fist in a move that was easily blocked by Oliver.  He counter-attacked and the work out began.  They moved around each other; Oliver staying on the defensive so she could work on her attack.  He held back, but he didn’t take it easy on her and she was grateful.   A light sheen of sweat quickly coated her body, beads forming on her forehead.  She ignored it and surprisingly kept her focus despite the way Oliver looked as he fought with her.  She felt a trickle run down between her breasts and caught Oliver’s eyes dipping toward her cleavage.  _Yeah, that’s right, I look good,_ Felicity taunted silently and Oliver grinned.  She tried to take advantage of his distraction by aiming a fist for his stomach.  She made contact but he was quick, so very quick, and he pulled back before she could do anything more than brush her knuckles against him.  Oliver lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe his face, giving Felicity a glimpse of his muscled torso.  She swallowed hard and Oliver took that opportunity to strike at her back.  He made contact, but she danced away, spinning so that his hand swiped but didn’t push her off balance.  The grin on his face remained and she smiled in response.  This was so much fun.

They traded blows, Oliver constantly changing his tactics so that she was forced to concentrate.  She moved around him and one of his hands grazed her butt, the touch distracting her and that’s when Oliver went for her legs.  Felicity knew she was going to fall and was cursing when she saw him glance again at her cleavage and in that split second of his distraction, she hooked an arm under one of his, bringing him down with her.  She giggled as he looked down at her with a surprised look on his face.

“You were distracted,” she teased and then laughed when Oliver blushed.  Now _that_ was interesting. Oliver blushing was seriously adorable.

“Sorry,” he said not sounding at all like he was sorry.  His gaze flicked downwards again.  Felicity felt his weight settle more on top of her and she brought her hands up to his shoulders, her fingers pressing against his skin. 

“I forgot to roll so that I was on top,” Felicity said and it was her turn to blush.  Again.  She watched as the expression on Oliver’s face heated and she realized she was finding it difficult to breathe.

Oliver groaned at the mental image her words created in his mind and he couldn’t help himself.  He bent his head and pressed his lips to her neck, where her pulse still beat rapidly.  He smiled against her skin when he felt her heartrate jump.  He was right; sparring with Felicity _was_ fun.   The minute she removed her hoodie, he fought against the distraction of how it clung to her like a second skin.  When her skin began glistening with sweat in the low lights of the lair, he couldn’t resist fantasizing about licking the sweat, tasting her.  But fantasy was nothing compared to reality.  His tongue replaced his lips in a slow, savoring lick.  Felicity trembled as she arched her neck for more.  He did it again and she sighed in pleasure.

Oliver turned his head and captured her lips in a searing kiss that Felicity eagerly returned.  It was nothing like the slow, sweet kisses they shared up until this point.  It was hot and wet, tongues dueling as they devoured each other.  Passion simmered between them, raising the temperature in the lair to boiling.  Felicity yanked at Oliver’s shirt and he lifted his mouth from hers long enough to peel it off and for her to gasp a breath.   Felicity ran one hand greedily down his chest as she used the other to pull his mouth back to hers.  He didn’t hesitate, pushing her into the mats.  Felicity curled a leg around his hip, arching her hips against his, feeling his hardness pressed intimately against her.

“We have to stop,” he mumbled against her lips as he ground his hips against hers.  He turned his attention back to her neck and then the hollow of her shoulder.

“I know,” she gasped, pressing open-mouthed kisses against his shoulder as he began licking a path down her chest.  Her teeth nipped at the muscle of his shoulder and he retaliated against the swell of her left breast, making her gasp again.

“We are not doing this here,” he muttered as he ripped the athletic tank she was wearing down the front.  He groaned in frustration when he saw she was wearing a sports bra underneath her tank. “Really?” 

Felicity gave a low laugh, husky with passion but the sound was abruptly cut off as Oliver captured her lips again.  His hand drifted lightly over the dip of her waist, resting on her hip, fingers curling under the waistband of her yoga pants, tugging downwards.  Felicity lifted her hips again and Oliver began lowering her pants and then suddenly stopped.  He dropped his forehead to her chest, brushing his lips over her breasts.  Her hands came up to cradle his head in understanding, fingers tangling in his hair.  They sighed at the same time.

“I want you,” Oliver said baldly, leaving nothing in doubt.  “But not like this.”

“We have time,” Felicity whispered, running her fingers across his shoulders, sweeping down over his back.  Oliver allowed himself to push into her again.  Then again and he groaned in frustration.  He was seconds from ripping her pants off and burying himself to the hilt inside her.  And he knew she wouldn’t stop him.  But this wasn’t how their first time was going to be.  He pulled back, rising to his feet.  Wincing, he adjusted himself, grinning as Felicity pulled off the tattered remains of her tank top.  She looked up at him, also smiling.  Her eyes dipped, a blush stained her cheeks at the evidence of his arousal.  She slowly raised her eyes to his chest and the expression on her face turned serious as she looked up at him.  Slowly, she rose to her feet, her eyes fixated on his bare chest.

An odd feeling came over Oliver as he watched her approach him.  He realized he felt self-conscious, wondering how she saw him.  It never mattered to him before, how women viewed his body, because none of them knew him; but this was Felicity and she _knew_ him and everything about her mattered.  The scars that littered his chest and abdomen, mixed with the tattoos he acquired over the five years he was gone, suddenly became ugly in his mind.  His back wasn’t in any better shape.  Looking around, he spied his shirt lying near the edge of the mat.  Before he could grab it, Felicity was in front of him, tracing the tattoo of Chinese characters with her fingertips.  His muscles jumped as she trailed her fingers across his stomach to one of his scars.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice as she moved around him, her fingers never leaving his skin as she looked at his back.  He felt her fingers across a scar from a bullet.  He wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for.  Felicity didn’t say anything.

“The scars,” Oliver tried to explain and then stopped, his muscles clenching as Felicity pressed her lips against a jagged scar.  She pressed another kiss against the tattoo of a dragon on his left shoulder, rising on her tiptoes to reach it.  She came around and he opened his mouth to say something, anything, but she stopped him from talking with another kiss.

“They are beautiful,” she whispered, “all of them.  They tell your story more than words could ever convey.”

Oliver closed his eyes as he pulled her into his arms.  He held her tightly.  His fingers brushed down her spine and he felt the remains of her wounds along her back.

“I didn’t see,” he began and Felicity understood.  She pulled back to show Oliver her arms.  Faint red circles on the inside of her elbows and wrists showed where the electrodes had been attached to her skin.  She then turned her back and he saw the same circles lined up on either side of her spine, six in total, her sports bra covering any others.  The wounds were fading and it was unlikely anyone would ever know that Felicity endured weeks of torture.  She turned back to him and gave him a solemn look.

“Some scars,” Felicity said as she traced one of the circles, “are more prominent on the inside.”

Oliver cupped Felicity’s cheek, rubbing his thumb over her cheekbone in the gesture that was quickly becoming familiar to him.  That he could do this, touch what was right in front of him, knowing that he could, that she wanted him to, sent a wave a satisfaction through him that was primal.  _Mine_.    He started into her eyes, seeing a world of hurt and pain; the same he was sure she saw in his eyes.  But there was something more that he knew no one would see in him.  There was hope. And something else, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“What is it about you?” he wondered aloud as he caressed her cheek. “What keeps the hope I see in your eyes burning so brightly?”

Felicity didn’t answer right away.  She searched his face a moment, realizing he really didn’t know.  Didn’t understand.  She smiled gently.

“You.  When I thought I was going to die, you stormed into my cell and gave me hope, just as I was losing any left inside me.  You rescued me in my darkest hour.”

Moved beyond words, Oliver could only sweep Felicity back into his arms for a deep kiss.  His chest burned with unspoken emotion.  It was a staggering thought that had him tightening his arms around her and one she must have sensed as her arms twined around his neck equally tight.

* * *

Moira laid the phone receiver in its cradle with very precise movements.  Tommy’s decision to move up their timetable was forcing her to act quickly in her decision to attempt to stop the Cadre from the inside.  She had to be careful, yet there wasn’t time to take all the steps she needed in order to protect her children.  Moira needed to be sure that her actions could not be tied back to her.  It wasn’t her that Tommy or Malcolm would harm; it was her children.  The Kensingtons learned that the hard way when they attempted to wrestle control of the Cadre from Tommy.  Their daughter paid the price and so they remained firmly in Tommy’s pocket.  While Moira doubted Tommy would hurt Oliver or even Thea, she was certain that Malcolm would have no qualms.  They were her children and that was enough for Malcolm.  She pulled open a drawer in her desk, pulling out a burner phone.  She held it, thinking how she was going to pull this off while cursing the day she and Robert joined Malcolm on his foolish crusade. 

Without the Queens, Malcolm’s plan was bound to fail.  He needed their money and the resources of QC in order for his plan to succeed.  It was easy for Malcolm to convince Robert.  After all, Robert was just as ruthless as Malcolm in expanding the Queen enterprise.  Robert didn’t care that Malcolm’s plan was motivated in part by his wife’s death.  For Robert, the bottom line was always about how much money he could make.  Moira could have convinced Robert to decline; but Malcolm made sure she was powerless to do so.  Her own indiscretion, the one time she wanted to turn the tables on Robert and his infidelities, was used to secure her own agreement.  Then Robert and Oliver were killed.  In her grief, she never thought to look to the Cadre as responsible.  She was amused when Tommy first took control of the Cadre and then alarmed as his ruthless nature became evident. 

When Oliver came home, Moira immediately began exploring ways to extricate herself from the Cadre.  That is, until Malcolm had Oliver kidnapped and beaten to determine what, if anything, Robert may have told Oliver before he died.  It was the first time the Green Arrow thwarted a move made by Malcolm, and certainly not the last.  Oliver’s kidnapping, though, made Moira realize that Robert and Oliver’s accident at sea wasn’t actually an accident.  She confronted Malcolm and he confirmed what she suspected.  Before leaving for China, Robert threatened to reveal the Cadre’s plans and removed the Queen family support.  So Malcolm took matters into his own hands.  Oliver’s survival was a threat if Robert revealed anything, but apparently Oliver remained as much in the dark about the Cadre as Thea.   _Or is he,_ Moira mused, recalling snippets of conversation she overheard between Oliver and Mr. Diggle.  But that was neither here nor there, not when events were dangerously coming to a head.

At least Tommy finally stopped campaigning for Oliver to be brought into the Cadre.  He at last saw that the five years on a deserted island changed Oliver on a fundamental level.  For Moira, she couldn’t be more proud of Oliver.  His compassion, charity, and more importantly his strength of heart would serve him well when the Glades fell.  It was Oliver that would lead their family out of the ruins and the one who would care for Thea when she was gone.  She only hoped that once he saw through Tommy and Malcolm, Oliver would do all that was necessary to protect the family and their company from the Merlyns.  In the meantime, it was time to move her timetable forward.  And quickly.  But first, she needed to deal with Felicity Smoak.

Moira was still flummoxed at how quickly everything began to unravel the moment the Cadre snatched Felicity Smoak.  Tommy was so smug in his plan; believing no one would be looking for her.  He was so confident in his plan; he failed to see the folly in his decision to snatch Ms. Michaels.  Tommy had no sense of the Cadre’s vulnerability, but Moira quickly made the connection between Lyla Michaels and Mr. Diggle.  When she discovered Lyla was his wife, she knew it was only a matter of time before A.R.G.U.S. agents stormed their compound.  And Moira was correct, in part.  It was less than a week before Lyla was rescued and as a result, the discovery of Felicity Smoak.  But it wasn’t A.R.G.U.S. that rescued her, at least not alone.  Discovering Lyla’s connection to the Green Arrow was troublesome for Moira.  It put thoughts in her head she long laid to rest.  Her suspicion of Oliver’s night time activities came back full force and the little things she ignored could no longer be ignored. 

Since her rescue, Felicity Smoak infiltrated every aspect of Moira’s life.  Her survival put all they worked for at risk should Felicity ever make the connection between the book and Moira.  To this day, Moira still did not know if Felicity even had her book.  It didn’t matter though.  Oliver’s attraction to her, the Green Arrows interest in keeping her alive, and now A.R.G.U.S. using its vast resources to track them left the Cadre in a very precarious position.  And if her suspicion about Oliver was correct, his partnership with A.R.G.U.S. and the Green Arrow pit him against the Cadre and thus, her.  It was a disaster, years in the making, and ready to implode.  Moira need to take control.  After calling for the car to be brought around, Moira stepped out into the foyer.  She was putting on her coat when Thea sailed in.  Moira glanced at the clock and saw it was just after nine.

“Thea, you’re home early,” Moira said, kissing Thea’s cheek.  She brushed Thea’s hair from her face and then straightened the collar of her shirt.  Thea stood still, letting her mother fuss.

“Long day at the club,” she explained. “The girls headed out after dinner, but I was so tired I decided to come home instead.  I saw the car out front.  Hot date?”

Moira smiled at Thea’s teasing but shook her head.

“No, something’s come up at the office and I need to run in for a quick moment.  Should be back in an hour.  Want to watch a movie or are you headed to bed?”

Thea looked at Moira in surprise.  They hadn’t watched a movie together in ages. 

“In your room? With popcorn? And you won’t yell if I drop some on your bed?”  Thea asked, trying to sound casual.  Moira laughed in response.

“Yes, and I’ll do you one better,” Moira said and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.  “Extra butter on the popcorn!”

“Perfect! Although, you having a hot date would be even better,” Thea added, grinning at her mother.

Moira laughed again and after giving Thea another kiss, headed out the door. 

“Oh! Before you leave, guess who I met today?”

Moira turned back to Thea, a brow raised in response.

“Oliver’s Felicity!”

Moira stared at Thea in surprise before she motioned to the driver to wait a moment. 

“Oliver’s Felicity?”

“Yes, you know.  Felicity Smoak?” Thea replied oblivious to the Moira’s careful tone.  “Oliver brought her by the club this morning.  She’s going to help with the security and network systems.  She really is quite amazing.”

“Is she?  You spent what, a few hours with her?”  Moira attempted to keep her tone even but she heard the bite in her question and knew Thea did as well when she gave her mother a quizzical look.

“Well, yeah, but really, she’s amazing.  She’s kind, super smart, and Mom,” Thea paused, her voice becoming quiet.  “Mom, she’s unbelievably strong.  The press has hinted at what she went through and if I were her, I’d be curled up in the fetal position upstairs.”

Moira winced at the idea of Thea being kidnapped and tortured and then felt shame.  Wasn’t she, in part, responsible for what happened to Felicity?  Was the harm and torture of another acceptable so long as it wasn’t her children?  Moira bent her head to hide her expression from Thea.  So much of her honor and integrity sacrificed for her children.  She could only hope they understood when they learned what she’d done.  She refocused on Thea who was still extolling Felicity Smoak’s virtues.  Felicity’s infiltration into Moira’s world continued as it was clear that Thea was enamored with her.

“But she’s out there, living her life and while it’s obvious that strangers still frighten her, she doesn’t hide herself away,” Thea continued, her voice filled with admiration.  “The construction workers obviously put her on edge, but she kept her cool.  And of course, there was Oliver.”

“And what was Oliver doing while you were getting to know Ms. Smoak?”

“Trying not to hover,” Thea laughed, recalling how Oliver glared at any construction worker that stared at Felicity a beat too long, or kept finding excuses to come join them over a the bar as they discussed the club’s system. 

“Hover?” Moira pressed, realizing that there was something more here.  Something she was missing but that Thea was completely aware.

“Yes, Oliver is very protective of Felicity.  It’s almost embarrassing to see him gazing at her so adoringly.  She’s not any better.  And of course, he kept stealing kisses when he could,” Thea shared, delighting in gossiping with her mother about Oliver.  They so often fought that moments like this were rare and far between. 

“Kissing?” Moira said weakly, a flutter of panic beginning a drumbeat within her.

“Really, Mom.  You know?  When two lips meet, with the occasional slip of the tongue.”

“Thea,” Moira admonished, pinching the bridge of her nose.  “Kissing? Oliver was kissing this woman?”

“Her name is Felicity,” Thea said quietly, realizing her mother had taken _that_ tone she reserved for use when either she or Oliver were about to get a lecture. 

“Miss Smoak,” Moira began, “is an employee of Queen Consolidated and it’s highly inappropriate for Oliver to become involved with an employee.  Should things end badly, as they always do with Oliver, what is to stop her from alleging sexual harassment and filing a lawsuit against the company?”

And there it was.  Or rather, there _she_ was; the Moira Queen who looked to the family name or company interest before considering the happiness of her own children. 

“Are you kidding me?” Thea responded.  “Inappropriate? Lawsuit?  This is Oliver we are talking about.  The man that doesn’t introduce us to anyone, much less date anyone for more than a few hours, and he is taking great pains to start introducing her to us.  This isn’t casual.  It’s serious.”

“There are a number of wonderful women in our social circle that are far more suitable for Oliver,” Moira said, hating the priggish tone of her voice.  She swallowed the panic she was feeling should Tommy or Malcolm become aware and if what Thea said was true, it was only a matter of time since it was plainly not a secret.

“I’m sure Oliver will move on, as he always does,” Moira finished, opening the door to indicate the conversation was over.  Thea didn’t move from her position, just watched as her mother proceeded out the door.  Thea rushed to the door, grabbing it before her mother could shut it.

“Mom,” Thea said quietly and waited until Moira stopped.  “She makes him happy. Happier than I’ve ever seen him.  Even before the island.”

Moira didn’t turn around, not wanting to acknowledge the truth of Thea’s words.  She slid into the back of the car and without looking at Thea, signaled the driver to leave.  She knew she was risking that fragile truce between her and Thea; the one Oliver so skillfully negotiated.  Moira knew it was broken when she returned home to find the house quiet, the smell of popped corn absent, and Thea’s bedroom door firmly shut.

* * *

Felicity rushed upstairs to the club level, her heart beating in excitement.  There was something happening in the Glades and if her program was right, and she knew it was, they had an opportunity to stop the Cadre’s next move.  Slipping out the door, she hurried past the stock room, coming up behind the bar.

“Oliver, you need to come –” Felicity stopped abruptly when she realized that Oliver wasn’t in the club.  Instead, with an open bottle of scotch in front of him, Tommy sprawled on one of the bar stools.  He was in the process of raising his glass when Felicity appeared.  Pausing momentarily, he took a sip, eyeing her across the rim of the glass.  Felicity didn’t move, frozen in place at the sight of him.   Despite knowing Oliver was somewhere nearby, her heart picked up tempo. 

“Felicity Smoak,” Tommy drawled and Felicity immediately realized that Tommy was drunk.  She looked at the bottle next to him and saw it was half-empty.  There was only one glass on the bar so she knew Oliver wasn’t drinking. 

“Hello, Tommy,” Felicity replied cautiously.  “I was looking for Oliver.”

“Where on earth did you come from?” Tommy asked peering behind her.  Felicity shifted, looking over her shoulder to make sure she hadn’t left the door to the lair open.  In her excitement, she didn’t check the cameras she installed in the club to see if Oliver was alone.  Had she known Tommy was up here, with Oliver nowhere in sight, she would have stayed down below.  Luckily, the stock room entrance was located near the lair, providing her with a cover story.

“The stock room,” she said, “I was finishing up the final installation of the club’s server.  Where’s Oliver?”

“Installing the club’s server? And why would you be doing that particular task? At this time of night?” Tommy asked, ignoring her question about Oliver.  He stood up, wavering on his feet before steadying himself with one hand on the bar.

“Um, yes.  I’m designing the club’s security system and network, I mean, I actually finished designing it.  Simple really.  Just doing some last minute tweaks.  Oliver didn’t tell you?”

Felicity resisted the urge to clasp her fingers together, keeping them relaxed at her sides.  Every fiber of her being screamed he was a danger to her.  It was irrational, this fear.  Yet didn’t Diggle tell her that her gut instinct was always right, no matter how irrational?  That sometimes fear could not be rationalized or explained, that it simply was?  It should not matter that this was someone Oliver trusted. 

“No, Oliver didn’t tell me.  Which is unusual.  He normally tells me everything.  But when it comes to you…nothing.  Zilch.  Nada.  Why is that?”

Felicity watched in trepidation as Tommy moved around the bar.  She turned as he moved around her to come behind the bar.  She took an instinctive step back but Tommy merely followed her and she refused to retreat any further.  Felicity’s instincts told her that to show Tommy any fear was to empower him.  So no more fear.  No more.  She would figure this out.  But not right now, not while he was drunk and not while she had more pressing information for the Cadre.

“I don’t know,” Felicity replied, trying to diffuse the tension and escape.  “I’m just going to go, finish what I was doing.”

Felicity tried to move past him just as he took a step closer, crowding Felicity against the bar.  Felicity’s expression gave nothing away, but her heart began to thud in fear.  _Do not show any fear, do not show any fear_ , she repeated over and over the phrase becoming a mantra in her mind.

“What is it about you?” he murmured, as his eyes roved over her face.  His scotch slopped around in his glass, nearly spilling across the front of her hoodie.

“You’ll have to ask him,” Felicity replied, trying to edge out from between Tommy and the bar.  She shifted to her left and Tommy followed.

“I’m asking you.  Tell me,” he whispered and Felicity ears began buzzing. It grew louder and louder as Tommy’s words echoed in her ears. There was something…..something so sinister about the way he spoke for her ears alone.  Tommy’s eyes narrowed at her expression and Felicity knew that her fear was there for him to see.  She pushed past him and tried to walk away but Tommy grabbed her arm.

“What?” he said, his eyes suddenly alert.  “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Felicity didn’t think; she reacted.  She turned her wrist until her thumb was parallel with his and using the move she practiced over and over, yanked her arm free.  Surprised, yet pleased that it worked, she took advantage of Tommy’s surprise to move out from behind the bar.  Tommy recovered quickly and started towards her.  Felicity scrambled backwards. 

“What is going on here?”

Felicity and Tommy both froze at the sound of Oliver’s voice.  They didn’t look at Oliver but rather stared at each other, fear and defiance clashing with menacing intimidation.  Felicity wasn’t sure what to say, how to explain what was happening or if she even wanted to try.  Tommy didn’t appear to have any qualms.  He lied; smoothly and with conviction.

“Nothing,” he said, smiling as he took another drink from his glass.  “I think I may have spooked your gentle bird.” 

Not a complete lie, Felicity amended.  He did spook her and perhaps nothing was going on, yet that was part she doubted.  Tommy disliked her, of that she was certain, the why was the mystery.  _Too many mysteries,_ Felicity thought tiredly. 

“Felicity?” Oliver asked, seeking her confirmation.  A part of her was grateful that Oliver didn’t completely buy into Tommy’s explanation while another part of her felt guilty that she was undoubtedly and slowly moving him into a position of choosing between the two of them.  _A choice_ , she suddenly thought _, I would most certainly lose._ The thought saddened her.

“It’s fine.  Tommy’s had too much to drink.  That’s all.”

Oliver studied Felicity a moment before nodding acceptance of her concurrence.  He knew she was lying.  He just didn’t know why.  The tension in the room was thick and Oliver looked between his best friend and the woman he knew meant more to him than any other woman in his life.  This wasn’t a choice he wanted to make, that he could make.  What he could do, right now, was diffuse the situation.  He would speak with Tommy later about keeping his distance until Felicity grew more accustomed to Tommy’s presence. 

“Maybe it’s time to call it a night,” Oliver said and was relieved when Tommy set his glass down on the bar.  Tommy walked around the bar, giving Felicity a wide berth, and grabbed his coat.

“Yeah,” Tommy said shrugging on his coat.  He was about to leave when he stopped and turned to face Felicity. 

“I’m sorry, Felicity.  I didn’t mean to scare you.  I always give new people a hard time.  Especially when it comes to Oliver.  He’s my best friend.  I lost him once.  Now that I have him back, I’m worse.  I forget you still suffering from the trauma of your own experience and that I need to watch myself.  My apologies.”

He sounded sincere and while Oliver threw Tommy a grateful look, Felicity didn’t say anything, simply nodding her head.  Tommy nodded back and after giving them his trademark salute, staggered out the door.

“Is he driving?” Felicity asked fairly confident she was more worried about other drivers than Tommy.

“No.  His driver is outside.  He arrived about an hour ago and tried to convince me to hit the clubs with him tonight.  We started talking, he started drinking.”  Oliver shrugged, indicating that it was typical Tommy.

“I didn’t check the monitors,” Felicity said, “otherwise, I wouldn’t have come upstairs.”

Oliver frowned in response to her words and the unwitting message they conveyed.  Felicity did not like to be around Tommy.  He felt compelled to defend his friend.  

“Tommy would never hurt you, Felicity.  He’s a good guy with a terrible father that drives him to drink.  You don’t have to be afraid around him.”

“Does he always drink that much?”

“No,” Oliver said slowly.  “But lately?  Yes.  Something’s going on that he’s not ready to talk about yet.  I’m guessing it has to do with his father.  Malcolm Merlyn is a difficult man to be related to.  Has impossible expectations of Tommy and every time Tommy fails to meet them, there’s usually a binge.”

Oliver drew her into his arms as much for her comfort as his.   Tommy was drinking more than usual.  Normally a sign that something was going on but in this case, there was something different about it.  Tommy’s drinking was almost celebratory in nature only Oliver was in the dark as to what Tommy might be celebrating.  Felicity’s instincts were good.  Very good.  His firm belief in her instincts had Oliver wondering if there was something he was missing.  He shook his head.  This was Tommy.  His best friend and brother.  His family. 

“Oliver,” Felicity began and then stopped.  She couldn’t say anything yet.  Despite the tug of sympathy she felt at Oliver’s words, her instincts were screaming at her and after everything she’d been through, she could no longer ignore them or try to rationalize the inherent sense of danger she felt in Tommy’s presence.  But neither could she talk to Oliver about this.  Not yet.  Not when she didn’t have anything more than a gut instinct about Tommy.  She didn’t know why, but she knew she was right.  There was something wrong with Tommy.

“I was looking for you,” Felicity said, moving the subject away from Tommy, “because I know the Cadre’s next target in the Glades.”

Oliver looked down at Felicity in surprise, his attention immediately diverted.  She pulled back to look up at him, her earlier excitement returning at her discovery.

“Yeah?” Oliver asked, a grin forming on his face.  Anticipation coursed through him.

“Yeah,” Felicity replied a matching grin on her face.  Her fingers flexed as if already flying across her keyboard to guide him and Diggle on their mission.  Felicity took his hand and led him towards the lair.

“Hope you didn’t have plans for tomorrow night.”

“I did,” Oliver said, “with you.  Although my original plans were far more interesting.”

The suggestive look on Oliver’s face left Felicity in little doubt as to his thoughts.  She waited for her cheeks to burn, and when they didn’t, she glanced up at him through her lashes sending him a single searing look.  Oliver winked at her and she smiled.

“Focus, Mr. Queen.”

“Oh believe me, I will, Miss Smoak.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Tommy have a conversation about Felicity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all the wonderful comments! It truly keeps me inspired to keep writing!
> 
> I focused more on relationships in this chapter and altered the timeline from that of the show in regard to past events. I hope you enjoy it just the same!

* * *

“Do you remember the time we broke into your father’s liquor cabinet?”

At the sound of Oliver's voice, Tommy looked up from his drink in surprise.  He met Oliver's gaze through blood shot eyes.  Oliver raised a brow and rocked back on his feet, his hands shoved in his pockets.   Tommy’s lips quirked in response and he tipped his head to the seat across from him.  Olive slid into the booth, noting the glass of amber liquid in front of Tommy, the napkin it sat on further confirming that it wasn’t the first.  Oliver glanced around and catching the eye of a waiter, he held up a finger and pointed at Tommy’s glass.  In seconds, a glass of whatever Tommy was drinking was placed in front of him.  Oliver took a sip.  Glenlivet and if he wasn’t mistaken, a 30 year old bottle of Glenlivet.  Oliver looked around the small bar, the murmurs of the small crowd barely audible over the tinkering of the piano player.  It wasn’t one of their usual haunts, but Oliver could tell from the disinterested look the bartender threw his way, Tommy was a regular.

“Which time?” Tommy asked interrupting Oliver’s thoughts.  He was slouching low in the booth, his expression wavering between disinterest and curiosity at where Oliver was going with this conversation.   Oliver gave a half smile the reminder that despite being caught multiple times, they never gave up on stealing Malcolm’s liquor.  Robert’s liquor was too easy to steal; he never locked his cabinet, making it too easy for two enterprising troublemakers.

“The first time.  We had just each taken a sip from our glasses when your father walked in.”

“I swear I nearly peed my pants at the sight of him.”

“I’m pretty sure I did.”

Tommy laughed in surprise, shaking his head at Oliver’s exaggeration.  No, Oliver never succumbed to fear, even as a kid, he always appeared unaffected.  Except once.  Tommy shook his head.

“No……you stood there, hand on the bottle and calmly offered Malcolm a drink.  Man, he wanted to yell but instead he nodded and asked for two fingers.”

The two men laughed together, recalling how Malcolm motioned them to have a seat on one of the couches as he sat across from them in one of Rebecca’s wing-back chairs.  Malcolm swirled his scotch, taking a sip now and then as he began talking about baseball and asking who the cutest girls in sixth grade where that year before moving to politics and the price of oil.  Oliver remembered Tommy’s mother walking in, a look of surprise on her face to find them all there.  When she saw the two other glasses on the bar, her eyebrows disappeared into her hair and she turned to Malcolm in question.  Malcolm merely pulled Rebecca down beside him to perch on the arm of the chair and offered her a sip from his glass.  Malcolm then asked her what her plans for the next week were and Rebecca, catching on quickly, began to discuss her schedule.  The two of them continued to talk with the boys as if nothing had happened.

“I didn’t think we would ever get out of there,” Oliver laughed, wiping tears from his eyes at the memory of Rebecca discussing the menu for a fundraising event she was hosting and asking them in excruciating detail what they thought of the hors d’oeuvres to including their thoughts on what type of mushrooms were best for stuffing.

“That’s when we decided drinking scotch was boring,” Tommy recalled, the memory of how they biked across the Merlyn property to Oliver’s house when they were finally released.  The entire ride they pretended to talk like grown up, falling off their bikes repeatedly in laughter.

“As they likely intended,” Oliver pointed out. “Of course, we simply decided we needed to find another drink of choice.”

“The next time we were caught at my house, Malcolm wasn’t so understanding,” Tommy remarked and Oliver shook his head, sobering at the memory.

“No, no he wasn’t.  After your mom….died….he changed. A lot.”

“You mean after she was murdered.”

“Tommy….”

“No, Oliver. Murdered.  She didn’t die gracefully in her sleep or succumb to cancer.  She was brutally murdered in the Glades and left to die in the streets in her own pool of blood.”

Oliver looked at Tommy in surprise, the blunt description of Rebecca’s death unexpected.  There were two things Oliver and Tommy never spoke about, and Rebecca’s death was one of them.   It wasn’t for any particular reason, it was just one of those unspoken agreements that two boys came to without consciously realizing it.  Whenever they did speak of Rebecca, it was with fondness and always those times when she was sneaking them extra cash, or laughing at the elaborate lunches she packed for Tommy.  

“Tommy….” Oliver said again and Tommy fell silent, looking away from Oliver.  Oliver began to rethink his plan of speaking with Tommy about Felicity.  Perhaps tonight wasn't a good idea.  He was about to change the subject to something about the club, but it was too late.  Tommy was already talking about how Malcolm found them.   It was spring break, just before the end of their freshman year of high school.  Rebecca had been dead for four months.

“I remember my father finding us passed out in our own puke on the patio and tearing me a new one while plying you with water and cold compresses.”

The last was said with bite and Oliver shot Tommy a look.  He too remembered how Malcolm berated Tommy, the words that came out of his mouth shocking Oliver into silence.  The vitriol coming from a father to his son was incomprehensible to Oliver whose own father was affectionate and indulgent to his children.  It was also one of the first times he saw the change Rebecca’s murder had on the Merlyn family.  Oh, the signs were there; things Tommy said without realizing what he was revealing, the tension at dinner parties or when Oliver came by the Merlyn house.

“He kept asking for the ‘goddam key’ and asking how I stole it from his key ring,” Tommy continued, taking another sip of his scotch.  Oliver remained quiet.

“The look on his face when you produced the key was priceless,” Tommy laughed bitterly, shaking his head. “He didn’t know what to do, or say.  By the way, I never asked but _how_ did you get the key?” 

Oliver shrugged, running his fingers through his hair.  This wasn't how this conversation was supposed to go.  

“The memory is hazy, but I think it was on the ground behind your father and I just grabbed it, pretended I had it the entire time.”

“You never let me take the blame when my father caught us,” Tommy remarked.  “Never. Even when I tried, you _always_ stepped in.  Why? Why did you do that?”

“Do you really have to ask?”

“I guess not,” Tommy said, looking away from Oliver again to stare out over the small bar.  Since Oliver’s arrival, the crowd thinned even more.  A man at the bar was engaged in an animated discussion of the upcoming hockey season, an older couple smiled at each other over their drinks, the ease in their body language telling Tommy they’ve been together for years and years.  At another table, a first date was obviously in progress.  The woman kept glancing up at the man through her lashes, her finger tracing the rim of her glass in slow, lazy circles.  Everything so normal on the surface, but the cynic in Tommy wondered at the secrets all them kept hidden from each other.  From the public.  His lips twisted as old memories rushed to the surface.  Memories better left buried but bubbling with such ferocity Tommy could not contain them.

“The night we stole my father’s Corvette,” Tommy began and Oliver shook his head, trying to head Tommy off.

“Tommy,” Oliver said, “we don’t need to go there.”

Tommy gave Oliver a sardonic look before turning his attention back to the flirting couple.  The woman was smiling as she twined a lock of hair around her finger.  Tommy wanted to snort at the obvious gesture but for the fact that it was very effective.  Even from a distance.  The woman’s hair was a brilliant shade of gold, and it glittered around her finger in the warm glow of the bar’s lights.  Tommy wanted to reach out, catch the strand between his fingers to see if it was as soft as it appeared.  The woman happened to glance up and catch Tommy’s stare.  He gave her his patented Tommy Merlyn smile, watched the blush spread over her cheeks, before he turned his attention back to Oliver, his smile fading.

“Oh, but we do,” he said seriously, “because you aren’t here just for a trip down memory lane, Oliver, you’re here to remind me of how far back we go.  We can’t talk about _that_ without talking about _that_ night.  You can’t pick and choose, Oliver.  It’s all or nothing.”

Oliver remained silent, realizing that he was no longer in control of this conversation.   Without warning, his mind drifted back to the night they took Malcom’s Corvette for a joy ride.  It was the summer before their sophomore year of high school, two weeks before school started.  He and Tommy were bored out of their minds.  Malcolm was supposed to be out of town, and for that reason alone, Oliver and Tommy were hanging out at the Merlyn Mansion.  Since Rebecca’s death, they almost always hung out at the Queen Manor; the tension at Tommy’s house too unbearable when Malcolm was home.  That night, they were hanging out by the pool when Tommy suddenly decided they should take one of the cars out for a spin.  After some back and forth, Oliver agreed.  It wasn’t like they didn’t know how to drive; they just couldn’t legally do it.

“He was supposed to be out of town.  An overnight trip to Central City,” Tommy recalled.  “He left straight from work without bothering to come home.  One of the maids told me.  He never told _me_ when he was going out of town.”

“He changed his mind, decided to come home instead of staying overnight,” Oliver said, remembering the overriding fear he felt when he saw Malcolm waiting for them in the driveway, next to a waiting vehicle, quickly followed by a rush of relief at the fact he was driving and not Tommy.  Not that it mattered.  When they both got out of the car, Oliver was whisked home without being given any opportunity to take all of the blame.

“He was _never_ out of town, Oliver!” Tommy said bitterly, tossing back what was left of his drink.  A single hand flick and a waiter quickly arrived with another. 

“What do you mean?” Oliver asked after the waiter was out of earshot.  Tommy’s eyes glittered with suppressed anger and of something else, something Oliver wasn’t able to identify.  It was different, almost fanatical in nature.

“Are you kidding?  He was waiting for us when we got home.  A mere two hours from when he supposedly left for Central City.  No way did he make it there and back.  He saw us that night.  He saw the ‘Vette on the road and knew immediately what we’d done.”  Tommy tossed back his drink, and another immediately replaced it. 

“How do you know?”

“Malcolm didn’t hide his affairs anymore after Mom died.  He would tell the staff he was going to Central City for the evening when in reality he was meeting his flavor of the month.  He saw us and came home.”

Oliver didn’t say anything at first and Tommy looked back over at the couple across the room, his mind registering the small smile the woman flashed at him when the man across from her wasn’t looking.  He winked at her and she blushed.  Tommy turned back to Oliver, contemplated his friend for a moment, wondering how much Oliver actually knew about Malcolm's affairs.  Or, for that matter, the affairs in Oliver's own family.  Up until Oliver's was deserted on that island of his friend, his friend enjoyed a relationship with his parents that Tommy was never able to experience.  The Queens were indulgent with their son, covering up his mistakes with money or influence when necessary.  Only Oliver's mistakes were never so serious as Tommy's and even when Oliver took the blame for those more serious transgressions, the Queens seemed to know that it wasn't really Oliver.  

“My father wasn’t faithful to my mother either.  I think I always knew, but it wasn’t until just before he died that I discovered the extent of his unfaithfulness,” Oliver remarked in an off-hand manner.  Tommy laughed, torn between amusement at how Oliver remained so naïve and the desire to cut him to the quick.  Oliver had no idea the extent of Malcolm’s unfaithfulness.  Nor that of his own family.

“Sure, Ollie, Robert messed around but _he_ never messed around close to home.”

“What do you mean?” Oliver repeated but Tommy shook his head.

“I always wonder how bad it would have been had you not come back,” Tommy mused quietly, spinning his glass between his fingers.  Oliver shifted in the booth, suddenly and inexplicably ill at ease with Tommy.  They never spoke of this night.  _Never_.  Not even after it happened.  That night changed everything between them.  It drew them closer, creating an unspoken bond between them, above and beyond the years of their friendship.

“Don’t,” Oliver said gruffly but it was too late.  His mind was already busily revisiting the past, stuck on the horrific scene he walked in on as he gasped for breath after racing across the land that separated their homes.  Malcolm’s hand was raised high, a belt folded in half and Tommy was huddled on the floor at the foot of his bed, silent tears coursing down his cheeks.  Tommy’s shirt was starting to rip, and there was blood beginning to seep through.  He and Tommy were 15 years old; gangly, skinny boys just beginning to hit puberty.  Malcolm was twice, no three times their size but Oliver never hesitated.  He threw himself across the room, tackling Malcolm to the floor.  The force of his own rage helped Oliver pin Malcolm against the floor, an arm across his throat, Oliver’s hand pinning the hand with the belt to the floor.  Oliver glared at him with a stare worthy of a Queen, _worthy_ of Robert Queen and he told Malcolm, in a voice cracking with emotion and puberty, to leave the room or he would call the police.  Malcolm opened his mouth to blast Oliver, but whatever he saw in Oliver’s eyes had him closing his mouth.  Oliver slowly let him up, and with one more glance at Oliver, Malcolm quietly left the room.  Turning back to Tommy, Oliver immediately picked up the phone and called his father for help.

“I thought Robert was going to brawl with my father in the foyer,” Tommy tried to joke but it fell flat.  The shouting match between the two men drew the household staff from their rooms.  At one point, Robert had Malcolm up against the wall, his hand at Malcolm’s throat, profanity spewing from his mouth.

_“Goddamn you, Malcolm! What the fuck is wrong with you?  You worthless piece of shit, treating your child, Rebecca’s son, this way!  You fucking worthless asshole!”_

_”Dad? Dad?” Oliver pleaded, pulling at his father’s arm.  He kept pulling until Robert finally turned to look down at his son, his eyes slowly clearing of anger._

_“Dad, he needs a hospital,” Oliver said gesturing to Tommy who was painfully making his way down the stairs, dragging a duffle behind him._

_Robert looked at Tommy who finally made it to the foot of the stairs.  Oliver grabbed the duffel from Tommy, and then pulled Tommy’s arm over his shoulder.  Robert released Malcolm, moving away after pinning him with a look very similar to the one Oliver gave him earlier._

_“No hospital,” Tommy whispered.  “They will call the police.”_

_“Tommy,” Oliver began but Tommy painfully stood up and took a step back up the stairs._

_“No hospital,” he repeated taking another step up on shaky legs. “No hospital or I stay here.”_

_Oliver looked at his father for help but to his surprise, Robert nodded in agreement.  He gave his Dad an incredulous look but Robert held up his hand._

_“He’s right, son, they will call the police.”_

_“Who cares?!? He should be in jail for this!” Oliver shouted.  Robert placed a hand on his son’s shoulder, shaking his head again._

_“Oliver, we will take care of this.  We will get Tommy help.  We will take care of him.”_

_Oliver looked to Tommy who was pleading with his eyes, begging Oliver to just let it go, to get him out of the house and Oliver could not refuse him.  But he did so grudgingly._

_“Fine, but we’re calling Dr. Franklin and having him come look at your back.  A house call as a favor to friends,” Oliver compromised and Tommy nodded.  Robert also nodded in agreement._

_“Now wait just a minute –” Malcolm began but shut his mouth at a single look from Robert.  Robert walked over to Tommy and Oliver, and moved behind them to view Tommy’s back.  He heard his father take a shuddering breath and then the weight of Tommy’s arm was lifted from Oliver’s shoulders.  Turning, Oliver watched as his father lifted Tommy effortlessly into his arms and felt tears burn the back of his eyes at how gentle his father held Tommy.   Robert walked out of the house without a backwards glance.  He laid Tommy on his side in the backseat of the car and shut the door.  He turned back to Oliver._

_“You did well tonight,” Robert began but Oliver was shaking his head, no longer to hold back his tears._

_“No, Dad, I didn’t.  This was my fault.  I know how impetuous Tommy can get and I knew the moment he suggested taking the car that it was a bad idea.   I should have tried hard to talk him out of it, or refused to leave when Malcolm caught us. Something.”_

_Robert pulled his son into a rough embrace._

_“No, Oliver, this is Malcolm’s fault.  No matter how wrong it was for you and Tommy to go joyriding, it does not justify what he did to his own son. Do you understand me?”_

_Oliver nodded, still shocked by all he witnessed.  He tried but could not recall a single moment where Robert ever raised a hand to him.  Robert walked him over to the passenger side of the car and pulled open the door.  As Oliver was about to get in, he stopped and turned back to his Dad._

_“Dad?”_

_“Yes?”_

_“What would you have done had you caught us joyriding in one of your cars?”_

_Robert laughed and ruffled Oliver’s hair and he motioned for him to get in the car.  Once Oliver was seated, Robert bent down to answer Oliver’s question._

_“I would have called the police, reported the car stolen and then let the two of you stew overnight in jail.”_

_Oliver stared at his dad in surprise, “Really?”_

_“Yeah, really.”_

Tommy lived with the Queens for a year before going home again. Oliver never saw anything close to what he witnessed again but he suspected that was because Robert had a nice long conversation with Malcolm that involved any number of threats before he would let Tommy return home.  Malcolm, for his part, was appropriately contrite and visited twice a week, to include family dinner on Sunday, for the year Tommy was gone.

“I’m sorry,” Oliver finally said, looking at Tommy.  “I’m sorry that things were so terrible after Rebecca was killed, and that your father, was, well, your father.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Tommy replied.  “It just was.”

The men fell silent again, lost in their individual thoughts.  Tommy stirred, looked up at Oliver.

“You know, you probably saved my life that night.  He had only hit me a few times when you flew into the room.  The rage my father was in, well, I don’t know, Oliver.  I don’t know.”

Oliver shifted uncomfortably again at the dark turn this conversation took.  He came here, hoping to talk to Tommy about taking it easy with Felicity, about backing off and giving her space.  Instead, they were revisiting a time in their youth that by unspoken agreement, was never discussed.  

“You never once made me feel anything less, Oliver.  You never once showed me pity.  That year with you and your family?  The best year of my life.”

“Why didn’t you stay?” Oliver asked, having always wondered why Tommy would return to a home where he knew he wasn’t wanted.

“Because it was time to go home.  Time to show my father he could not bully me. It was my house, my mother’s house and I wasn’t going to let anyone chase me out of it and after that year away, I made that house mine.  I will tell you, Oliver, he never laid a hand on me again.  And sometimes, I wanted him to.  I wanted his attention so desperately that I would get so pissed at you for taking the blame for all the other trouble we managed to cause.”

Oliver looked at Tommy in surprise.  It was true; he always took the blame because he never wanted what happened that night to Tommy to ever happen again.  Despite Malcolm’s assurances that it would never happen again, Oliver remained on edge whenever Tommy decided to act out.  Oliver remembered the first time they got into trouble after Tommy returned home.  Without thinking, he stepped forward, took the blame and challenged Malcolm without saying a word.  And it worked.  More often than not, it worked.   As a result, Malcolm showered Oliver with the attention and respect that should have been given to Tommy.

“I’m sorry,” Oliver said again.

“I swear he never touched me again.  Not after that night.” 

“I’m glad.”

Tommy gave Oliver a lopsided smile and they lapsed into silence again.  Tommy was right; they could not pick and choose what memories they revisited.  Their friendship was too old, too layered, to dismiss those moments that had a significant impact on the direction of their friendship.

“In the nearly 15 years since that night, we've never spoken of it.  Not once.  Why now?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Tommy returned, a brow raised in sarcasm and Oliver acknowledged Tommy's hit with a nod of the head.  For the first time in their friendship, Oliver wasn't sure how to approach Tommy.  

Tommy eyed Oliver over his drink, taking note of Oliver's frown and knowing it was about the direction this conversation took.  It was time to talk about Felicity Smoak.  Tommy wondered how far he could push Oliver tonight.  Whether this trip down memory lane was enough, revisiting the beating his father gave him, or perhaps more groundwork to make Felicity appear unstable was necessary.  He decided to play it by ear.

“You're here about Felicity, aren't you?”

“What happened at the club earlier, Tommy?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

Tommy raised his brow at Oliver’s tone and straightened in the booth.  He gave Oliver an offended look.

“Any accusation that something happened yesterday is simply not true.  Of course, Felicity probably felt like something happened given all that she’s been through.  She's fragile.”

“She said nothing happened,” Oliver returned, dismissing Tommy’s characterization of Felicity.  

“Well, there you go then,” Tommy said carelessly, slouching back in the booth.

“But I know you, Tommy,” Oliver continued as if Tommy hadn’t spoken.  “Always pushing, trying to find the chink in someone’s armor.  Why would you want to push Felicity that way?”

“Oliver….” Tommy warned, anger starting to take root at being challenged in his treatment of Felicity.  Never mind that he was needling her on purpose, the point was that Oliver shouldn’t be so quick to condemn him.  Oliver was supposed to be having this conversation with Felicity, telling her to relax and that any perceived issue with Tommy’s behavior is in her own mind.  Instead, here he was, lecturing his oldest friend.  It wasn't supposed to be like this.  This was not in Tommy's plan.

“I saw you grab her, Tommy.”

Tommy stared at Oliver, his face revealing nothing.  He hadn’t realized Oliver saw that and because he had, Tommy needed to shift gears.  He would also need to be more careful.  Tommy sipped at his drink and gave Oliver a sheepish look.

“I didn’t mean to scare her.  She was walking away and I reached out to stop her.  I’m curious about her.  I didn’t realize she would panic at a simple touch,” Tommy said, his eyes carefully gauging Oliver’s reaction.  He noticed the slight easing of tension in Oliver’s shoulders and pounced on it.

“So I reached out to take her hand, to reassure her I meant no harm but instead ended up grabbing her wrist.  She just reacted.  That little move she made?  She must be taking some sort of self-defense class.  Is she?”

“Why are you curious about her?” Oliver asked, ignoring Tommy’s comment about Felicity’s move to free her arm.  He wasn’t about to share anything that Felicity was doing to better protect herself.

“Seriously, Oliver?  Because of you!  Your reaction to her, this infatuation you seem to have with her.  It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen and Oliver, let’s be real, I, better than anyone, know exactly how you are with women and this?  This isn’t you.”

“It’s not infatuation,” Oliver replied quietly.  Tommy shrugged and motioned to the waiter who brought him another drink.  Oliver mentally counted the number of drinks placed in front of Tommy in the last hour and frowned.

“What is it then?” Tommy asked, wondering why Oliver was frowning.

“I don’t know,” Oliver answered finding that he didn’t want to discuss his feelings with Tommy.  He shoved that thought to the side to examine later.  “What I do know is that she is different from any other woman I have ever met.  This is different.”

“But _why_?”

Oliver sighed and finished his drink.  Before he could even look for the waiter, another drink was placed in front of him.  How did he explain this to Tommy?  How did he explain this to someone who still viewed women as arm candy or a means to pass the time?  Oliver’s thoughts turned to Felicity and without realizing it, his expression softened and his eyes became unfocused.  Tommy stilled, not recognizing the man in front of him.  When Oliver spoke, his voice was soft, reflective and almost awe-struck. 

“There is a fire in her that still burns deep beneath the pain and shadows of her kidnapping.  It sparks in her eyes, calls to me, and when I see her, I can feel it.  Feel her hope, the joy she is starting to feel again and the joy _I_ feel when I’m with her, talking to her, or even just thinking about her.  She reaches me, Tommy, in a way that no one, _no one_ , has before.  Before the island, _since_ the island.”

No, Tommy did not recognize the man across from him.  Despite the years shared between him and Oliver, despite the secrets they kept for each other, there was a side of Oliver he never saw and that was an Oliver in love.  And whatever claims Oliver made as to not knowing what was happening between him and Felicity, Tommy knew.  _This_ was Oliver in love and Tommy did not know this man. At all.  It made Oliver a wildcard and almost as dangerous as Felicity.

“She’s important to you.”

“Yes.”

“Are you asking me to stay away?”

“No! Of course not!  I’m asking you to take it easy.  Dial back the public Tommy Merlyn and be you.  My friend. My brother.  Get to know her, give her a chance to know you.”

“I don’t trust her, Oliver.”

“Why?”

“I can’t put my finger on it.  But there is something off about her.  Where does she come from? Who are her parents? What keeps her here in Starling City?  She comes from nothing.  How do you know she isn’t latching on to you because of your name?”

“‘Who are her parents?’” Oliver repeated, anger creeping into his voice. “Seriously?  Since when does that matter to you?  That's rich coming from the man who takes home a different woman almost every weekend without regard to where they come from.  What the actual fuck, Tommy?

“You have to admit, she latched on to you pretty quick.  The first sign of attention from you, and she hasn’t let go of your arm.  As your friend, your brother, I have to be suspicious of her.  I don’t want you hurt.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“You seem blinded by what you think she is,” Tommy commented and knew immediately he pushed too far.

“What I think she is? What do you think she is, Tommy?”

“That’s my point.  Neither of us know.  We didn’t know her before her kidnapping, how it changed her, and what’s she’s become as a result.”

“And you’ve made my point.  Why are you so quick to assume that what happened to her has made Felicity into some sort of lunatic?  Why couldn’t her experience have forged her into something else, someone better or stronger?  You didn’t know her either so you’re not basing your opinion on anything solid either.”

The two men stared at each other and Oliver felt the first cracks in their friendship as Tommy’s expression faded into something alien.  That angry glint was back in his eyes, this time accompanied by a sneer on his lips.  The cruelty of his expression reminded Oliver of Malcolm.

“We’ve always had each other’s backs.  Always.  You were there for me when my mother died, you took care of me during one of the most horrific times of my life, and I…well, I’ve been there for you, covering for you with your various girlfriends, calming your mother down when you would disappear for hours after you first came back from the island.  There was not one thing that could divide us.”

“Was?”

“We are arguing about a woman we don’t know.  A woman you barely know.  We are supposed to trust each other and already she’s made you doubt me.  She’s dividing us.”

Oliver stared at Tommy a moment, trying to process what he was saying.  The man sitting across from him was a stranger; the cold hard set of his features, the calculating ruthlessness of his gaze wasn’t that of the friend he grew up with.  This was someone else entirely.

“She’s not dividing us, Tommy.  You are,” Oliver replied quietly, not taking his eyes off of Tommy.

Tommy met Oliver’s stare for a moment and then tossed back the remainder of his drink.  He pulled out his wallet and threw several bills on the table.

“I’m going to go before we end up brawling in a bar like a bunch of frat boys,” Tommy said as he stood up.  He straightened his jacket, glancing over at the woman.  He raised a brow and he smirked as she began collecting her things.  Whatever she was saying to the man across from her wasn’t going over well.  Too bad.

“Tommy,” Oliver said but Tommy shook his head, cutting Oliver off.

“I’m going to need a minute on this, Oliver.  Okay?”

Tommy looked over at the woman again and saw she was walking his way.  He looked down at Oliver who also noticed the woman.

“See you at the club tomorrow?” asked Oliver, falling back on a safe topic.  The woman approached their table, flashing a flirtatious smile at both of them.

Tommy shook his head, "No, I have a meeting in Central City with good old Dad.  Saturday though."  

Oliver nodded and Tommy turned his attention to the woman who was once again winding a lock of hair around her finger.  Tommy’s gaze lingered on the bright strands for a moment before he met the woman’s eyes.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” 

Without another word, the two left.  Oliver stared after his friend, disappointment thrumming inside him.  It didn’t matter what Tommy said about needing a minute, Oliver was certain that nothing he said was going to change Tommy’s mind about Felicity.  The only person who could do that was Felicity. And that was another conversation Oliver suspected wasn’t going to go any better.

* * *

Felicity woke with a start, her eyes immediately going to clock on her bedside table.  The docking station where her phone was charging showed that it was nearly three in the morning.  The echo of her nightmare was fading, a nightmare not as vivid as normal, but still dark enough for her to accept that she would not be getting anymore sleep.  Sighing, she sat up and pushed the covers back, shivering at the chill in the air.  She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and grabbed the long, wool cardigan robe from the foot of her bed.  She snuggled into its warmth, wrapping it tightly around her as she walked out to the kitchen. She poured a glass of water and was just about to make coffee when a movement out in her tiny backyard caught her attention.  She sighed again.

Walking over to the backdoor, she spied the thermos sitting on the delicate wrought iron table on the small patio just outside her backdoor.  She walked outside, a small shiver racking her body as she stepped on the cold flagstone.  Immediately, a pair of leather clad arms came around her from behind and she sank into Oliver’s warmth.  She tilted her head back and met his lips in a slow, sleepy kiss.

“Mmmmm….” Felicity murmured as they broke apart. She stayed snuggled in his arms, the heat of his body keeping the chilly night air at bay.

“Hey,” Oliver whispered brushing a kiss across her forehead.  He saw her lips tilt upwards and he hugged her closer.

“Hey yourself.”

Their lips met in another slow kiss, their tongues twining lazily together, stroking and tasting.  They broke apart and Oliver snuggled her closer as she rested her head back against his chest.

“I didn’t know you were going to patrol tonight,” Felicity said, her eyes closed in contentment.  “I would have stayed.”

“Last minute decision,” Oliver murmured turning her in his arms, so he could bury his face in her neck.  After the conversation with Tommy, Oliver was restless.  He didn’t want to disturb Felicity; so instead of surrendering to the inevitable, he went back to the lair and changed.  He roamed the city, pausing now and then to dissuade a would-be attacker, but mostly he wandered the city until he could no longer resist her pull and made his way here. 

“A decision that involved a nice bottle of whiskey?”

Oliver chuckled and nuzzled at her neck.  She tilted her head to one side to give him better access and he inhaled her scent deeply, taking comfort in her warmth.  He released her long enough to slip his arms insider the cardigan she wore as a robe, pressing his gloved hands against the base of her spine. Felicity smiled as she tilted her head back to look beneath the hood.  One look and her smile faded.

“What’s wrong?”

He shook his head, not wanting to talk about Tommy right now.  He pressed his fingers into her spine, running them up and down the elegant line of her back.  She shivered at his touch, her own hands tracing the muscles in his arms through his jacket.   

“Oliver,” Felicity sighed, chastising him silently over his refusal to talk to her.

“Later. I promise.  Right now, I just want to hold you.  I _need_ to hold you.”

There was no way Felicity could deny him, no matter her own need to find out what put such sadness in his eyes.  The break in his voice told her that whatever was bothering him was serious and hitting close to home.  Instinct told her that it had to do with Tommy and her stomach twisted at her role in any disagreement between the two men.  She rested her cheek against his chest, pressing as close as she could get in comfort.  Her eyes fell on the thermos on the table.

“What’s in the thermos?”

“Coffee,” Oliver said, rubbing his cheek against the top of her head.  “I snuck into QC on my way here.  Our security sucks.”

Felicity laughed, her fingers playing with the zipper of his jacket. 

“How did you know I would be up?” she asked, pulling back far enough to look under the hood of his jacket again.  She was frustrated at the shadows it cast across his face, so after pulling him deeper into the shadows of her small patio, Feliciy pushed it off.  He smiled down at her, his eyes glinting at her from behind the mask and grease paint.

“I didn’t. I hoped.”

“You know you could always bring it inside, right?  You don’t have to leave things on my porch anymore,” she teased.

“I know.  But I couldn’t resist.  You know, for old time’s sake,” Oliver teased back and Felicity laughed softly.

Oliver bent his head towards Felicity again and she lifted herself up on her toes and met his lips for another kiss.  There was a bit of desperation in his kiss as his mouth moved urgently over hers and she opened her mouth to his, meeting his tongue as he swept in for another taste.  One of his arms pulled her impossibly closer as the other went up her back, his gloved-hand cupping the nape of her neck as his fingers tangled in her hair.  She kissed him back, hard, meeting him kiss for kiss, pressing as close as she could, wanting to be closer. When they broke apart, they were both breathing hard, wanting more. 

“Will you be able to sleep?” Oliver whispered gruffly, cupping her face between his gloved hands, peppering her lips with small kisses.

“No,” she whispered back, her hands coming up to grip his wrists and pull his arms back around her waist.  She twined her arms around his neck, wriggling closer.  Oliver’s laughter quickly faded into a groan as Felicity pressed into him.  He stole another kiss, then another and then pulled away, putting space between them.  He turned to look over the small backyard that Felicity so carefully tended.  A small crepe myrtle grew in one corner, the branches just peeking over the high brick wall that afforded her a semblance of privacy and security.  Pots lined the edge of the patio, waiting for spring blooms and vines were just beginning to twine around the columns of the wood portico Felicity installed to shade the stone patio.   He sighed, the peace of her small yard and Felicity’s presence finally soothing the turmoil within.  He felt her small hand come to rest in the center of his back.  Even through the thick leather of his jacket, her touch burned.

“Oliver….”

“Not yet, Felicity.  I just…..”

“I understand.”

They stood in silence, gazing across her yard.  Felicity looked up at him, not wanting to shatter the peace that was settling over him.  She couldn’t stay silent.

“I’m sorry,” Felicity whispered, telling Oliver without words that she knew that his sadness was related to Tommy and her.

“So am I,” Oliver confessed, slipping an arm around her and drawing her into his side.  He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, squeezing her tightly against him.

“Do you want to come in?” Felicity asked, looking up at him and he shook his head.

“Tempting.”

“But you won’t?”

He shook his head, “Not tonight, not like this.”

Felicity tilted her head to the side, a teasing expression returning to her face.

“I would never have guessed it would be hard to convince Oliver Queen to sleep with me.”

“I’m not as easy as the press makes me out to be.”

They shared a smile and Felicity leaned past him and picked up the bow he’d leaned against one of the pillars of the portico, handing it to him.

“You have no idea how much I want to make love to you,” Oliver murmured, running a finger over her cheek.  “But I need hours and hours to explore every inch of your body, to taste you over and over and to bury myself so deep in you that neither of us knows where the other begins or ends.”

At Oliver’s words, Felicity’s breath caught in her throat and her stomach quivered, her thighs clenching tightly together in response.  The sensual smile on his face told Felicity he knew exactly the response his words elicited.

Oliver ran his finger over Felicity’s collarbone, across her shoulder to the hollow of her throat.  He knew exactly what she was thinking because it was exactly what he was thinking; the two of them in bed. Naked. He moved to leave but her fingers gripped his wrist.  He was not prepared for the kiss she laid on him.  Hot and wet, all tongue, her fingers gripping his shoulders as she rubbed her body against his.  He went to grip her around the waist, but as quickly as she started, she ended their kiss and put several feet between them.

“Good night, Oliver,” she smiled and he was too hot to answer back.  He pinned her with a single look, promises of what he was going to do to her the next time they were alone smoldering in his eyes.  He moved out into the yard, and ignoring the gate, he pulled himself over the wall in a single pull, landing on the other side.

“Show off,” she called out and smiled at the low laugh she heard from the other side of the wall.  She listened and then heard the sound of a motorcycle pulling away.  Grabbing the thermos of coffee, Felicity made her way back to the kitchen, smiling, and anticipation of being naked with Oliver coursing through her.  Yeah, she definitely wasn’t going back to sleep tonight.  


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected revelation from Moira leaves Felicity reeling but a sudden move from the Cadre makes it impossible for her to react.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Delays in updating are the worst, I know. And I am sorry! Real life and my fandom life often compete and I think we can all understand how real life always wins those competitions.
> 
> Thank you for all the comments on the last update and welcome new readers! I'm so glad you found my story.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this small update!

* * *

Moira stepped out of the elevator on the executive level, reading a report in her hand and occasionally marking it up as she went along.  She scribbled a few notes in the margin as she walked, shaking her head in disbelief at what she was reading.  It was another report from Isabel Rochev regarding the acquisition of the small pharmaceutical in China.  Oliver’s objection to the acquisition was making waves and the Board of Directors was leaning towards agreeing with his recommendation that the company pursue a smaller company located in Central City.  From a purely business perspective, Oliver’s analysis of the financial pros and cons of the Chinese acquisition versus the one in Central City was accurate, pointed, and solid reasoning to pursue a local business.  From employment opportunities for both Starling City and Central City, not to mention the economic implications for both cities, Oliver’s alternative approach was quickly gaining traction.  However, the pharmaceutical in China was essential to the Cadre’s mission and Moira was responsible for ensuring QC purchased it for that particular use.  Or rather, it was Isabel’s job to counter Oliver’s argument.  Much to Moira’s amusement, not to mention secret pride, Isabel was failing.  The report she was currently reading attempted to perform gymnastics with the financials of the two companies and it only served to further support Oliver’s recommendation. 

“Regina, please call Ms. Rochev and ask her to come see me,” Moira directed as she entered the reception to her office.  She didn’t look up as she passed her assistant’s desk; sighing as she circled a paragraph that not only contained grammatical errors, but the numbers were off by several million dollars. 

“Of course.  Mrs. Queen, you have –” Regina began but Moira interrupted as she kept walking.

“Also, call my son, see if he’s still in and schedule him to come thirty minutes after Ms. Rochev,” Moira added over her shoulder as she entered her office only to find Malcolm sitting behind her desk.  She hesitated for a split second before continuing over to her desk.  Tossing the report on her desk, she faced Malcolm, one brow raised.  She heard Regina enter the office behind her.

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Queen, I tried –”

“It’s alright, Regina.  Please delay calling Ms. Rochev by fifteen minutes,” Moira said and Regina backed out of the office, closing the door behind her.  “Get out of my chair, Malcolm.”

“Only 15 minutes?” Malcolm asked as he lazily stood from behind Moira’s desk, slowly walking around to the other side.

“That’s all the time I have right now, Malcolm. What can I do for you?”

“What’s that?” Malcolm asked instead, nodding at the report.  Moira wasn’t fooled. She knew he could see the name of the pharmaceutical on the cover.

“Isabel’s paltry attempt at disproving Oliver’s cost benefit analysis of QC’s potential purchase of Jin’s pharmaceutical company.  Oliver recommended the company pursue a smaller company in Central City.”

“So, Oliver is blocking our purchase?” Malcolm asked, as he went to pick up the report.  Before he could do so, it was in Moira’s hands once again.  Malcolm held his hands up in surrender, smiling.

“No.  Oliver is doing his job and providing QC’s Board of Directors all of the information, pros and cons in the acquisition while offering an alternative that would be more profitable for QC.  The financial records only further support his recommendation.  This is going to be a tough sell.”

“You sound proud,” Malcolm commented.

“I am.”

“Yes, I suppose you would be.  I can’t say I’m surprised that Oliver picked up how risky a venture it would be for QC.  Since his return from the island, he’s demonstrated a business savvy I didn’t think he had.”

“Now you sound proud,” Moira remarked, and Malcolm shrugged, not quite meeting her eyes.  

“I’ve always been fond of Oliver.  In any event, proud or not, we need that pharmaceutical for the Cadre,” Malcolm reminded her.

“We’ve done just fine without it thus far,” Moira countered as she slid the report into her top desk drawer.  “Besides, we are months away from releasing anything into the Glades, so we have time.”

“The current form of shipment leads to unnecessary delays.  Illegal drug houses tend to be unreliable. We need to be ready to roll out the merchandise at a moment’s notice, whether it’s tomorrow or months from now.”

Moira’s lips curled at Malcolm’s use of the word “illegal.”  As if making the drug in a legally purchased pharmaceutical research laboratory would make the drug legal.  The hypocrisy made her skin itch and her own role in it made her want to scratch until the itch was gone.

“Why are you here, Malcolm?” she asked, changing the topic away from Oliver.

“Felicity Smoak.”

 _Well, that failed,_ Moira thought.  Apparently, the topic was Oliver.  Moira heaved a sigh to indicate her boredom, and settled in her chair.  She waved a hand at one of the chairs across from her, indicating that Malcolm should sit.  He complied, an amused smile on his face.  Years and years of friendship, adversity, and betrayal simmered in the air, always waiting for the right time to boil over and explode between them.  There it hovered, always in reach, secrets that could destroy Moira on a personal level.  Malcolm had nothing to lose.  He lost Tommy years and years ago, and so he held all the cards in this game of cat and mouse.  He could only be pushed so far.

“What about her?”

“We need to take care of her.  Tommy is failing to get through to Oliver and thus, failing at his efforts to rid us of Felicity Smoak.”

“From what I can see, Tommy has made no effort at all to “rid” us of the problem he created,” Moira pointed out.  “Her security team should be no match for the private army Tommy created.”

“After the first two efforts failed, Tommy decided a more indirect approach was best.”

“Like many of his decisions, another failure.”

“Thanks to Oliver,” Malcolm snapped back and Moira let a smug smile slip across her face as Malcolm’s hold on his patience began to fray.  She leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs.

“Malcolm, do you really thing Ms. Smoak poses a threat?”

“Well, she’s working with the Green Arrow –”

“We don’t know that. We assume that,” Moira interrupted.  “Since the cargo ship, exactly what has been disrupted?  Tommy moved our timetable up by several months for apparently no reason at all.”

“To avoid another encounter.”

“Based on what intel?  Certainly nothing he is sharing with us which, if you’ll recall, is what led to this debacle that is Felicity Smoak.  It seems that history just may repeat itself.  Tommy is taking action without consent from the Cadre which goes directly against the principles we established all those years ago.  Principles Tommy is ignoring to become a dictator over all of us and putting the goal of the Cadre at risk.  Perhaps it’s time we rethink our leadership.”

Malcolm studied Moira for a moment before abruptly rising to his feet.  Moira rose quickly, refusing to let him tower over her.  With Malcolm, it was all about who held the higher ground.  Right now, Moira was teetering on the edge.  She needed to proceed very carefully.

“Careful, Moira, be very careful,” Malcolm said as he buttoned his suit jacket and picked up his coat from where he laid it while waiting for her.  “Tommy took control of the Cadre exactly in the way we envisioned any one of us could take control; financially.  He’s made us more efficient.  More lethal, accomplishing the first part of our objective in much shorter time period with no one the wiser.  Now, on the brink of destroying the Glades, you suddenly seem to be stalling every move tied to QC.  One would think you no longer support the Cadre’s objectives.”

“I never freely supported the Cadre’s objectives,” Moira reminded him, coming dangerously close to opening the lid to the boiling cauldron of secrets between them.  “But neither have I ever worked against those objectives.  On the contrary, I’ve always done my part.  You keep doing your part.  Keep the promises you made and you damn well make sure that Tommy upholds your promises as well.”

“Oliver is making part of that promise difficult to keep.  The more time he spends with Ms. Smoak, the more she puts him in danger.  She’s not safe from Tommy.  Especially now that he believes that she has come between him and Oliver.”

They exchanged a long look before Malcolm turned and left the office without another word.  Moira waited until she heard the elevator depart before releasing the breath she was holding.  Malcolm just confirmed what Moira feared; Tommy was not done with Felicity and now, he did not care who stood between him and his target.  Right now, that was Oliver. 

“Regina,” Moira called as she sat back behind her desk.

“Yes, Mrs. Queen?”

“Where you able to reach my son?”

“No, ma’am.  His secretary said he left for another appointment and that he was not returning this evening.”

Moira stared at her computer screen for a moment.  She glanced at the clock and saw that it was just shy of seven in the evening.

“Regina, cancel Isabel and please call down to IT.  My e-mail seems to be malfunctioning.  Ask them to send their best.  The woman.  The one everyone wants to work on their computer issues.  What’s her name?” Moira asked, feigning confusion.

“Felicity Smoak?” Regina asked.

“Yes, that’s her.  Please have IT send her to address this issue.”

“Yes, ma’am.  If she’s gone for the night?”

“She’s not,” Moira said confidently, having kept track of Felicity’s working habits.  Regina nodded and left to make the call while Moira began organizing her thoughts.   There was no time like the present to have a conversation with Ms. Smoak about her relationship with Oliver.

* * *

 

Felicity sat very still at her desk, one hand resting on the receiver of her desk phone.  The call came just as she was wrapping up her day.  _Would Miss Smoak please report to the executive suite?  Mrs. Queen was experiencing technical difficulties with her e-mail._   It wasn’t just any other request for IT support.  It was a specific request for _her_ support although Felicity doubted there was a legitimate need for any type of support.  This was, undoubtedly, the conversation in which Moira would tell her that she was not good enough for her son.  Felicity wasn’t sure why she was surprised.  Or disappointed.  For some odd reason, she thought that Moira would be more accepting of her than the usual women Oliver dated.  _I really need to get my ego in check,_ Felicity thought.  Sighing deeply, she stood up, squared her shoulders and headed up to the executive suite. 

When she exited the elevator, Felicity was surprised to find the outer office empty.  She turned back toward the elevator lobby, unsure of whether she should proceed into Moira’s office or wait. 

“Hello?” she called out, turning back around and looking towards the small kitchenette discreetly tucked to the left of the waiting area.

“Miss Smoak?”

At the sound of Moira’s voice, Felicity jerked and then mentally cursed for being so jumpy.  She resisted the urge to wipe her palms on her skirt, and instead slowly turned around.  Moira stood in the door of her office, her face expressionless.  Felicity’s stomach began churning and she swallowed nervously.  Suddenly, she wondered if she was wrong and there really was a problem with Moira’s e-mail.

“Um, hi.  Mrs. Queen. Your secretary called and said you were having issues with your e-mail?”

Moira tapped the pen she was holding against the palm of her other hand as she stared at Felicity.  She didn’t say anything for a moment before turning back to her office, beckoning Felicity to follow.  Felicity hurried after Moira and stood uncertainly across from her, making no move to towards the computer on the desk.  Her instincts were correct.  From where she stood, Felicity could see Moira’s computer screen and it was quite obvious there was nothing wrong with Moira’s e-mail.  A low beep indicated a new e-mail was received, furthering confirming Felicity’s suspicions.  Felicity remained quiet, letting her silence speak for her.  Moira lifted a brow and then a faint smile lifted the corner of her lips.

“Thank you for coming so promptly, Miss Smoak.”

“You’re welcome,” Felicity replied, clasping her hands in front of her in an effort to quell her nerves.  She resisted the urge to shuffle her feet.  The office was intimidating enough without adding Moira’s presence.  For a woman who appeared so demure, she exuded an air of power that was almost suffocating.  Add the glass walls of the office, giving a spectacular view of Starling City essentially sprawled out at Moira’s feet, and Felicity suddenly found she was having trouble breathing.  She recalled the last time she was in this office and in a moment of internal nervous hysteria, made a mental note to start sorting through the box of equipment she and the rest of the IT department removed from Moira’s office that day.

“I suppose there is no point to continue the pretense that I have an e-mail problem,” Moira remarked, her gaze sharp.

“No. No, there’s not. I suspected as much.  This is about Oliver.  And me.”

“You are dating my son,” Moira stated and Felicity nodded but remained quiet.  “I can’t pretend that I’m thrilled with that knowledge.”

“Have you ever been thrilled with _any_ woman Oliver dated?” Felicity asked without thinking, and then snapped her mouth shut, once again mentally cursing at herself as a blush crept into her cheeks.  Her mouth fell back open at Moira’s laughter.

Taken by surprise by Felicity’s blunt, but accurate, statement, Moira couldn’t contain the laughter that escaped her.  Despite their limited interaction, Moira continued to be surprised by the woman standing across from her.  Most people, especially the women Oliver normally dated, were unable to hold their own when being challenged.  Yet Felicity Smoak continued to chart her own course, reacting in unexpected ways.  Moira was finding it increasingly difficult to hold on to the disdain she attempted to show towards Felicity when she what she was increasingly feeling was admiration.  Moira assessed Felicity, comparing her to the woman she saw a few weeks ago at the press conference.  Felicity was stronger now.  Not just physically, but emotionally as well.  Oh, shadows still swirled in her eyes, but it did not detract or weaken her.  Instead, it lent her an air of quiet dignity and strength.  And among the shadows in her eyes, Moira saw the flame of hope burning bright, a flame that Moira only recently saw rekindled in the eyes of her son.   She would not like this woman.  _She would not like this woman._

“No, I suppose not.  But those women were never a threat to my son’s life.”

“I’m not a threat to his life, Mrs. Queen.  The people who kidnapped me?  That’s a different story.  But we are being very careful.  Very, very careful.”

“As careful as you were at the press conference?”

“There hasn’t been an attempt on my life since that day.”  _Never mind that it wasn’t my fault,_ Felicity thought.

“Do not be fooled into believing they will not try again.”

Felicity tilted her head to the side at Moira’s warning and there was no doubt in Felicity’s mind it was exactly that; a warning.  The subtext was clear.  This wasn’t about whether Felicity was good enough for Oliver; it was about Felicity being in danger and thus, a danger to Oliver.  _Why does she believe I’m still in danger?_ Felicity wondered, her mind turning Moira’s warning over in her mind.  _Is it a belief or…knowledge?_

“I’m not a fool,” she replied softly, “nor would I purposefully put Oliver in any danger.”

“Miss Smoak, I lost my son and husband in an accident at sea,” Moira said, her stomach twisting at characterizing the explosion as an ‘accident.’  “By the grace of God, my son survived and came home to me.  I will not, after everything I’ve done to protect my family, lose him again, or my daughter for that matter, to the violence surrounding you.”

Moira’s voice could have cut through steel.  It was hard, razor sharp, and edged in fury.  Felicity wanted to shrink away but it was Moira’s eyes that revealed the true story.  There was fear there; an honest fear that Oliver, _and_ Thea, were in danger.  Instinctively, Felicity knew this danger wasn’t just because of her; there was something else, something deeper driving Moira.

“Mrs. Queen,” Felicity began and then stopped as Moira’s expression changed to one of shock.  She frowned, not sure what was happening.  Moira picked up a small remote from her desk and aimed it at the wall behind Felicity who turned to see a television that was currently muted.  At the press of a button, the room flooded with the sound of the newscaster; his expression appropriately somber as the words ‘Breaking News – 10 People Dead from New Drug Overdose’ scrolled across the bottom of the screen in bright red letters.  Moira came out from behind her desk, eyes intent on the screen.

“Starling City health experts are warning residents of a new drug flooding the streets of the Glades.”

Frowning, Felicity walked closer to the television as the scene switched from the news anchor to just outside Starling City General Hospital Emergency Room.  The reporter outside the doors to the hospital began speaking and Felicity’s heart started beating faster.  Moira joined her and they stood side-by-side, shock coursing through them although for very different reasons.

“In the last twenty-four hours, 10 people have died from an overdose of a new drug while 25 people have been hospitalized.  There are no details on the drug, referred to as Haze, except that its potency surpasses that of heroin and the chemical composition is unstable.”

Felicity lifted a hand to her mouth, the memory of the needle pricking her neck, the sting of a liquid entering her system and the rush followed by a sweet oblivion swirling in her mind.  _God_. 

“Medical experts are only just now beginning to research this drug while Starling City Police are sweeping through the city looking for distributors.  Chief of Police, Quentin Lance, will be addressing the public in a few short minutes.”

“Oh, my God.  He…what…Oh my God,” Moira whispered and Felicity looked up at her in surprise.  There was an expression of horror on her face, shock in her voice as she stared at the television.  _She knows what this is_ , Felicity realized as the phone in her pocket began buzzing.  She pulled it out of her pocket and saw that it was Oliver.  Silencing her phone, it began buzzing again and this time Diggle’s name and picture flashed on her screen.  She silenced it again, and took a step back.  Her phone immediately began buzzing again.  Felicity’s mind was racing at the implication of Moira’s words.  She kept trying to process what this meant but her mind would not slow down long enough to put the pieces together.

“I have to go,” Felicity said motioning over her shoulder to the door, taking another step towards the door.  Moira suddenly turned to her, grabbing Felicity’s wrist in a tight grip.

“The danger surrounding you will not disappear.  It’s only just beginning.  If you care anything at all for my son, you will end your relationship.  You will distance yourself from him.”

Felicity pulled her wrist free and backed away, stunned at the warning Moira was delivering.  Stunned at what Moira was revealing, whether she realized it or not.

“I have to go,” she repeated and quickly left Moira’s office.  The elevator she originally rode up was still on the executive suites floor so she didn’t have to wait.  As the doors were closing, Felicity looked up to find that Moira followed her out.  Their gazes met and held and a hint of desperation flashed in Moira’s eyes just as the doors closed. 

* * *

Felicity rushed to the IT department to grab her coat and purse.    _Was Moira involved? Did she know who the Cadre was?  Was she a member of the Cadre? Oh my God, what if she was? How did she tell Oliver? Could she even tell Oliver? None this makes sense, Felicity Meghan Smoak, so calm your ass down.  Focus on the current problem.  The drug. Focus on the drug._  As she pulled on her coat, trying to calm her mind, the door to the IT department flew open and Diggle rushed in with a woman by his side.  _Lyla_ , Felicity’s mind registered, _we were finally supposed to meet tonight_.  They must have been on their way to pick her up when the news broke.

“I know,” Felicity said, grabbing her purse.  “I saw the news report.”

“We need to go, now.  Oliver is already at the lair,” Diggle replied, grabbing her other bag that held her tablet and other equipment she was never without.  Felicity turned around in her cubicle to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything and accidentally hit the box of equipment that had been sitting on her shelf since her first day back at work.  The contents spilled all over the floor.  Felicity swore and bent down, pushing cords, external hard drives, old CDs back into the box.  She reached under her desk for a drive she missed and that’s when she saw it; a brown, leather-bound book.  She stared at the book, her mind flashing back to Oliver’s foot locker and a remarkably similar book inside.   Her mind began buzzing again; Moira’s warning echoing in her thoughts, the words Moira uttered as she watched the news, the book on the floor growing larger the longer she stared at it.  _Who did you tell?  Where is the book?_

“Felicity?  Felicity? We have to go.”

Diggle’s voice slowly penetrated her conscious.  Felicity looked up to find him frowning down at her, a hint of concern on his face.  Lyla stood behind him, peering around his body at Felicity crouching on the floor.  _I must look half out of my mind,_ Felicity thought as she grabbed the book.

“I’m sorry,” she said, shoving the book in her purse.  “Sometimes that happens.”

“What triggered it?” asked Lyla and Felicity looked at her in surprise.  Lyla shrugged but didn’t say anything.

“A book,” was all Felicity said and Diggle threw her another uncertain look as he led the way to the elevators.

“A book?” he echoed, using his building pass to access the executive elevator.

“I’ll explain later,” Felicity promised and was grateful when Diggle let it go.  As they rode the elevator down, Felicity could not help but keep glancing at Lyla, trying not to stare.

“Do you recognize me?” Lyla asked, her gaze never moving from the numbers above the elevator doors.

“Only from the night we were rescued.  In the helicopter.  Sort of.  That night, well, it’s still a bit of a blur,” Felicity replied.  “But I remember watching Diggle hold you and thinking how nice that must have been.”

Lyla gave a faint smile before turning her attention back to the numbers above the elevator doors.

“I saw you once,” Lyla suddenly said and Felicity looked at her in surprise.  “You were being taken back to your room and they were bringing me out.  You were being half-dragged, half-carried but it was your eyes that struck me.  You happened to look up and our eyes met.”

Felicity said nothing, not remembering the moment Lyla was talking about.

“While you physically appeared defeated, your eyes told another story.  Determination.  Strength.  Most importantly, there was hope.  So much hope.”

The elevator bell rang and the doors slide open.  No one moved for a moment.

“We were rescued just a few days later, Felicity.”

“I was about to give up.  That night we were rescued.  I was ready to give up.”

“But you didn’t.  And because I saw you, I knew you were there,” Lyla said.

“You sent Oliver to find me,” Felicity said realization dawning on her and Lyla nodded.  Diggle pressed a hand against Lyla’s back, urging her out of the elevator.  He held the doors back, as Felicity walked through before following hem into the garage. As they drove towards the lair, Felicity thought about the bank account that connected her and Lyla.

“They took you because of me.  We were linked by a bank account and nothing else.  That bank account was the only thing that connected us,” Felicity mused from the back seat.  In the front, Diggle and Lyla were nodding their heads in unison.  She thought of the book in her bag and its twin hidden in Oliver’s footlocker.

“They believed I knew something about their operation.  They saw that connection and thought I told you whatever it is, or was…..”  Felicity thought about the books again and felt her stomach twist.  _What if the books….what if Moira_ ….Felicity shut the door on that train of thought, focusing on the now.  She pulled out her phone to check her searches.

“It was sloppy,” Lyla remarked and this time it was Felicity and Diggle who nodded in unison.  “Taking me brought down an inordinate amount of attention on them.”

“Not to mention the focus of the Green Arrow,” Felicity said glancing up at Lyla, a hint of amusement in her voice at referring to Oliver as the Green Arrow.  The small smile on Lyla’s face told her the woman shared her amusement.

“It was rash,” Diggle added.  “It shows a depth of inexperience that normally would bring down most syndicates.  In this instance, it’s made the Cadre more dangerous.  Their decisions are impetuous, volatile even, and that makes it difficult to predict their next move if they deviate from their set patterns.  Your computer program, Felicity, is the only thing that gets us close to them.”

Felicity was silent for a moment, watching the city speed by outside her window.   Her phone buzzed and glancing down, she saw the search pattern was shifting.  She frowned.  She looked up as Diggle turned on to the bridge leading into the Glades and caught sight of the truck depot on the other side of the water.  The lights were dark, the depot seemingly empty.  A flash of movement from the depot caught her attention.  Their car crested the apex of the bridge, giving Felicity an unobstructed view.  A small flash, quickly muffled, so quick Felicity wasn’t sure she saw it.  She pressed her faced against the window, trying to see into the dark.  Diggle glanced in the rearview mirror.

“What is it?” he asked, slowing the car.  Lyla looked back at Felicity and then bent to the bag at her feet.  She dug around, pulling out a pair of binoculars.  Felicity looked down at her phone, reviewing the data her search was spitting out.

“Johnny, stop here,” she said.  Diggle complied, killing the lights, engulfing the dark SUV in darkness.  Lyla stepped out into the rain, and standing on the running board, peered through the binoculars towards the truck depot.  Tension grew as Lyla continued to stare out into the dark.  Felicity turned back to the window, eyes straining.  _There!_ A spark, gone as quick as it appeared.  Lyla dropped gracefully back into the car, pulling the door shut.

“Go! The depot is being hit by the Cadre!” she said.  Before she could finish, Diggle floored the SUV and they took off down the road.

“They just triggered the alarm and are swarming the building,” Felicity said as data spilled onto her phone.  She pulled her tablet from her bag for a better look at the information. 

“Haze is the cover.  Everyone is focused on the drugs, so they are moving now.  They moved it up by at least a week.  Oliver and I discussed this last night but could not determine exactly when, only that it was soon.  We didn’t factor in the drug because it wasn’t out yet.  Volatile, and thus less predictable,” Felicity rambled as she pulled comm units from her bag.  Moira’s voice echoed in her ears again.  The shock on Moira’s face as she watched the news was very real.  Felicity shook her head.  _Not now. Later_.  She handed Lyla two ear pieces, and then passed over two balaclavas.

“What? You just carry extra stuff around?” Diggle asked as he fit his ear piece in, turning it on while waiting for Felicity to bring all the comms online.

“Always be prepared,” Felicity reminded him as she inserted her earpiece and then brought the system up.

Felicity inserted her ear piece and brought the system up.

“Oliver?”

She heard nothing for a moment until the murmur of voices reached her ears.  No one in the car said anything.

“I’m already there,” came Oliver’s voice, pitched so low that Felicity had to strain to hear it. He spoke in small bursts, timing his voice with outside noises to better camouflage the sound.  “Saw the Cadre on the move from the street cams.  Took off after them.  Snuck in from south side.  In the large center building, in the rafters.  Place is crawling with Cadre.”

“When this is over, we are going to have another discussion about you taking off without back up,” Diggle said.

“Just get here.”

“Already on the way.  I have Lyla with me.”

“Good.”

Diggle looked at Felicity in the rear view mirror and put his comm on mute.  Lyla and Felicity did the same so that Oliver wouldn’t hear them.

“I’ll take you to the lair,” Diggle said but Felicity was shaking her head.

“No time, Diggle. We are right here.  I’ll be fine in the car.”

“Felicity–”

“She’s right, John.  We need to get to the depot and fast,” Lyla interjected.  Diggle said nothing for a moment and then at the last minute, just when Felicity thought he was going to drive by the turn off to the depot, he whipped the SUV left.  Felicity grabbed her tablet to keep it from sliding to the floor.  Once Diggle steadied the vehicle, Lyla pulled out a set of Glocks, checked the clips and slammed them home.   Felicity brought up the blueprints to the depot.  She then split her screen and accessed one of the satellites she kept on reserve.  Felicity looked up as Diggle slowed the car.  She looked around and then back at the satellite images, getting her bearings.  When she looked up again, Felicity saw that Lyla was staring down at the tablet in Felicity’s lap.

“Is that—” Lyla began before stopping.  “Wait, I don’t want to know, do I?”

“Yeah, you don’t want to know,” Felicity replied, her cheeks turning red.  It was an A.R.G.U.S. satellite that Felicity found rather easy to hack.  “I will tell you that it was child’s play for me.”

A disgruntled expression crossed Lyla’s face as she processed what Felicity was telling her.  Diggle grinned at Lyla as he brought the car to a stop, bringing it into the shelter of a clump of trees and overgrown bushes.  They could hear the water lapping up against the rocks behind them.  In front of them, the grounds of the truck depot were silent.  On this side of the Glades, closest to the river, the last remnants of nature grew wild and unchecked; likely shielding much of the Mexican cartels activities from prying eyes across the river.  For tonight, it served to hide the trio from view as they prepared to enter the depot.  Diggle took the weapons prepped by Lyla, and after another check, holstered one of the guns.  He kept the other one out and in his hand.  He turned to Felicity in the back seat and fixed her with a stern look.

“You do not move from this car.  You see trouble? You take off and leave us here.  You get to the lair and you wait.  Do you understand?”

Felicity considered his words carefully before replying.  Leave them there? Yeah, that wasn’t happening, but now was not the time to argue.

“I will not leave this car,” she agreed and Diggle nodded in satisfaction while Lyla gave her a considering look.  Felicity shrugged and Lyla said nothing, but it was clear she understood Felicity’s equivocation.  Lyla handed Diggle two more weapons.  Felicity studied the images on her tablet and frowned.

“I can’t see the other side of the depot,” she said as she began typing furiously on her tablet.  “I need another angle.”

Lyla re-checked her weapons, sliding both guns against the small of her back.  She and Diggle exited the car and opened the back of the SUV.  Turning, Felicity watched as Lyla slid out a rifle from the other bag, a long black weapon, elegant in its construction.  Lyla slung it over her back and added a belt of ammunition.  Felicity exited the car and joined them just as they shut the hatch.  They flanked Felicity, peering over her shoulder at the image on her tablet.

“The Cadre moved the night shift into this building here,” Felicity pointed to a small building set apart from the larger warehouse.  “Four guards, two in front, two in back of the building.”

“No rotation of guards around the perimeter?” Diggle asked as he looked through the binoculars towards the fence line.

“No,” Felicity said as she went back to a live feed of the depot.  Heat signatures showed the majority of bodies inside the main building with about four men stationed at the main entrance into the depot.  She then switched to the cartel’s video surveillance, another easy hack, which showed people milling around the building Oliver was currently holed up in.  They couldn’t see the rafters from the cameras positioned inside.

“They are waiting for something,” Lyla said after a moment of watching the Cadre’s army.

“A shipment,” Diggle guessed and he pulled his balaclava on, stopping short of pulling it over his face.  Felicity nodded in agreement as she studied the images the satellite was flashing across her screen.

“Diggle?”

At the sound of Oliver’s voice, all three jumped.  They unmuted their comm units.

“Lyla and I are coming in.”

“Take up position on the south and west side of the building.  Windows allow entry into rafters. They’re opened.  I’ll cover the west.  North side is made up of large hanger bay doors, currently propped open.”

“We are five minutes out,” Lyla said after a quick check of her watch.

“Felicity, I need you to detail their movements.”

“On it,” Felicity said as she re-accessed live images of the depot.  “We suspect the Cadre is waiting on a shipment.  They have four men at the main entrance to the depot, but no other guards securing the perimeter.  The Cadre has the night shift locked in a building on the south side of the depot, four guards posted there as well.”

“Copy,” Oliver said before falling silent again. Lyla and Diggle covered their faces and Diggle gave a final look at Felicity that told her she better not leave the car.  She nodded and watched as they disappeared into the night.  She moved to get back in the rear passenger seat of the SUV, but then thought better of it and climbed into the driver’s seat.  She locked all the doors, and then activated the car’s perimeter alarm.  A little something extra she installed when she designed the steel mill’s security that allowed her to focus on what was going on instead of making sure no one was sneaking up on the vehicle.  She watched Diggle and Lyla’s figures appear on her screen as they made their way to the main building.  Within minutes, they were scaling the wall and slipping inside.  Felicity switched her view to see the heat signatures inside the building.  She swallowed hard.  There were _a lot_ of Cadre men in the building.  She switched back to an outside view.

“There’s an 18-wheeler approaching the entrance to the depot.  The guards just waved them through and are now closing the gate.  Truck is headed your way.”

“Copy,” Oliver whispered.

There was silence and then Felicity could hear the truck’s engines through her ear piece.  A smattering of voices filled the silence when the truck’s engines were shut off.  She itched to be able to see inside and then remembered the depot’s security cameras.  Splitting her screen again, she pulled it up just in time to see the back doors of the truck being opened to reveal large crates.

“Crates from the ship,” murmured Oliver and Felicity suddenly knew what was in the crates and why the Cadre needed the depot.

“They are setting up the depot as a distribution center for Haze.  The souvenirs….they are going to repurpose the depot to break down the drug for distribution.”

Felicity switched back to the satellite images and studied the depot grounds.  She was about to shift back to the internal security cameras when movement from south side of the depot caught her eye.

“Uh oh….looks like the night shift took out their guards and is headed your way.  Things are about to get ugly.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth when the muffled sounds of gunshots echoed in her ears, quickly followed by more.  Soon it was all she could hear. 

“Oliver? Diggle? Lyla?” she said frantically, turning on the SUVs engine.  There was no answer.  She pulled up the live video feed from the depot’s security and saw that Oliver and Diggle were in the thick of it, while Lyla was picking people off with the stun gun from the rafters.  Soon, Lyla tossed the weapon to the side, and joined Oliver and Diggle, along with members of the Mexican Cartel, in the fight.  Felicity watched as Oliver took a blow to the back of the head, wincing as he sank to one knee before he rose somewhat unsteadily back to his feet to take out the man going in for a second swing.  Diggle was then jumped by two men, while Lyla fought alongside a few men Felicity assumed were from the cartel.  Things were out of hand and there was no way they were going to take back the depot, much less avoid capture or even get out alive.  Decision made, she propped her tablet against the center console, put the SUV in gear and floored it back out towards the main road and the depot entrance.  _Time to crash the party_ , she thought, speeding towards the gate, her foot firmly pressed on the accelerator.

* * *

 

“We need to get out of here,” Diggle shouted as he planted his fist into one of the masked faces of the Cadre.  Oliver nodded, grunting as he took a fist to his side that was meant for his back.  His head was aching from the hit he took earlier and he was beginning to feel sluggish.  Another man came at him, but one of members of the Mexican cartel took him out with a flying dive.  He looked around and saw Lyla systematically making her way towards them.  Once all three were together, they put their backs to each other to take on the Cadre.

“Start moving towards the main entrance,” Lyla shouted.  One of the Mexican cartel members, wearing a depot shirt with a tag that said Enrique, joined them and they widened their circle as they pushed towards the main entrance.  Gun shots rang out and Oliver kept waiting to feel the sting of a bullet.

“Those are my men outside,” Enrique shouted as another man took position by his side.  He wore a similar shirt only his nametag said Antonio.  A conversation in Spanish erupted between the two but Oliver was too busy concentrating on the Cadre to focus.  His vision blurred and his stomach curled with nausea.  More than once Enrique had to step in to help him.  The irony of fighting alongside the Mexican cartel wasn’t lost on Oliver but right now, they needed all the help they could get. 

“You are badly hurt, Flecha Verde,” Enrique yelled and Oliver could only nod.  It was the truth.  The hit to the back of his head was worse than he originally thought.  They needed to get out of there, and quick.  He was barely holding on to consciousness.

A loud crash caught everyone’s attention and for a split second all eyes turned to the main entrance as a black SUV came barreling in.   A woman with a blond ponytail fishtailed into the building, tires squealing as she headed their way, whipping around the truck like a Nascar driver.  Oliver processed that it was Felicity at the same time members of the Cadre did.  They attempted to swarm the vehicle, but Felicity’s driving was swatting them back like flies.

“Shit, I told her not to move and if all hell broke loose, to return to the lair!” Diggle shouted and Oliver looked at him incredulously.  Why the hell did Diggle bring Felicity to the depot?  A surge of adrenaline shot through Oliver, giving him a much needed boost in strength.  He took down another man and roared in anger as a member of the Cadre jumped onto the running boards of the SUV.  Oliver pushed his way towards her, but Felicity knocked the man off with a jerking motion of the vehicle.   _Get to Felicity, get to Felicity.  Protect Felicity_.  The words ran on a loop in his mind as he pushed through the crowd.  Felicity was fast approaching them, running down anyone who didn’t jump out of her way.  Enrique yelled to his men and those still standing took advantage of the path Felicity cut to escape through the main entrance.  As she approached their small group of fighters, she whipped the car to her left and came to a stop so close to them that Oliver could her the click of the locks disengaging.  Oliver jumped in the front passenger seat while Diggle, Lyla and Enrique jumped into the rear.  One of Enrique’s men jumped in at the last minute, crawling over into the cargo area.  Felicity floored it and left the same way she came in.  Gun fire erupted around them, hitting the car, but they managed to make it out without any of the windows being shattered.

Oliver stared at Felicity’s profile until a blush stained her cheeks.  He said nothing as she drove out of the depot, just stared at her profile.  From the corner of his eye, he saw Diggle was giving her an equally hard look while Lyla was smiling broadly from beneath her balaclava.  They drove in silence for several minutes.  Moving deeper into the Glades, Felicity didn’t make any turns towards the lair, keeping one eye on her unexpected passengers.

“Hey, chica, you can stop here and let us out,” Enrique suddenly called out and Felicity came to a stop.  He and his man exited the car and after a brief conversation, Enrique approached Oliver’s window.

“I wasn’t there for you,” Oliver said and Enrique nodded.

“Still, you could have left us there.  We owe you one, man.”   

Oliver thought about it for a moment and tipped his head towards Felicity.

“You know who she is?”

“Si.  You saved her.  She’s la nina milagro.  Those men?  Same ones who took her, no?”

“Yes.  You don’t owe me.  You owe her.”

Enrique studied Felicity for a minute and then nodded.

“We will protect her. And anything she needs, she only needs to ask.”

“She,” Felicity suddenly said, “would appreciate it if you talked directly to her.”

Enrique’s teeth gleamed in the dark as he flashed a grin in her direction.  He refocused on Oliver.

“When you’re ready to take these pendejos down, we will be there to help you.  I want my depot back.”

Enrique stepped back and jogged away before Oliver could answer.  Felicity put the car back in gear as Oliver rolled the window up and started driving toward the lair.  Oliver’s head was pounding harder and he swallowed back the nausea that had returned in full force.  He turned his attention back to Felicity’s profile.  She sighed and reached out with her hand to gently push at his chin.

“Stop that,” she said and then ran her fingers down his arm to the hand that rested on his leg.  Oliver immediately twined his gloved fingers with her as he reached up with his other hand to turn off the voice distorter.  He kept the hood up, wanting to wait until they returned to the lair.

“I told you to stay in the car and to leave if things went from sugar to shit,” Diggle accused from the back seat, no longer able to stay quiet.

“And I stayed in the car,” Felicity pointed out.

“You didn’t leave.”

“I never promised to leave.”

Diggle opened his mouth and then shut it again.  He glared at Felicity who merely shrugged.  She was a member of this team and these two big lugs needed to accept that they could not wrap her in cotton wool.

“Oliver, stop.  You can stare as hard as you want, but it’s done.”

“You could have been hurt.”

“You were hurt.”

“You could have been captured.”

“All of you could have been captured.”

“GODDAMMIT, FELICITY. WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?” Oliver suddenly yelled and Felicity winced at the volume in the close proximity of the car.  “THEY SAW YOU AND IMMEDIATELY HEADED FOR YOU!!!”

Felicity understood Oliver’s point, the fear he must have felt at seeing those men attempt to get into the car, to try and take her, but he was completely missing her point and she wanted to hit him over the head with it.  Diggle, too.

“I was thinking that I’m a member of this team and you guys needed help.  I was in a position to help,” Felicity replied calmly.

“You. Don’t. Go. Into. The. Field.”

Felicity felt anger prick at her and she took a breath to keep it at bay.

“Oh really?  I must have missed that disclaimer when I signed on to your little team here.  What page was that misogynistic rule on?”

Lyla snorted in the back seat and Diggle closed his eyes. 

“What were you thinking bringing her along?” Oliver said, wincing at the pain that shot up the back of his head as he turned to glare at Diggle and Lyla.

“We were already at the depot when we saw it was being hit,” Felicity answered for them, “and while Diggle wanted to drive me to the lair and then come back, I vetoed that notion.  There wasn’t time.”

“You vetoed that notion? Vetoed?” Oliver said incredulously and Felicity knew he was going to yell again.  The only thing that kept her from yelling back was the way he kept stroking her hand with his gloved fingers.  His fear was real and he did not like it. 

“Oliver, I’m either a member of this team or not.  You need to trust that I know and understand my limitations.  I’m not something to smuggle away deep in the lair.”

Oliver didn’t say anything as the hammers in his skull picked up tempo.  He knew she was right, but he wasn’t thinking very clearly.  Actually, he couldn’t really think at all right now.

“Where did you learn to drive like that?” Lyla suddenly asked and Felicity had the grace to blush again.

“My mom watched a lot of Hawaii Five-0.  I saw a few episodes.”

There was a moment of silence and the mood in the vehicle shifted from tension to amusement.  Lyla giggled and Diggle smothered a laugh.  Oliver let a laugh escape, putting a hand to his head at the pain mere laughter caused.  The pounding was relentless and his vision kept blurring.  His stomach rolled and he realized he was about to vomit.  Felicity gave him a look of concern.

“I saw the hit to the head.  We need to have that looked at,” Felicity began before Oliver interrupted her.

“Stop the car,” he muttered with such urgency that Felicity immediately obeyed and came to a stop in the middle of the street.  Oliver opened the door, leaned out and vomited.  He hung on to the door, suddenly lacking the strength to pull himself back into the car.  He breathed heavily and felt a small hand rubbing his back.  He latched onto the feeling as he shuddered and vomited again.  He could hear Felicity making soothing noises as her hand swept up his back to his head.  Her touch disappeared and he wanted to protest but found he couldn’t form the words.  He could hear Felicity’s voice rise in concern.

“Dig….there’s blood….my hand…Oliver? Oliver? Can you hear me?”

He began to topple forwards, no longer able to support himself and felt Felicity grab his jacket from behind.  He grunted in pain but then Oliver felt strong hands lift him back into the car and subconsciously knew that Diggle was responsible.  He heard him order Felicity to get to the lair.  His head lolled against the headrest of his seat and the last voice he heard as he lost conscious was Felicity’s; telling him everything would be okay.

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity shares her suspicions about Moira with Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote parts of this chapter as I was writing the rest of the story. I think I caught any inconsistencies.
> 
> Thank you again for all the constructive comments and to the new readers, thank you for giving my story a chance!

* * *

Felicity sat as close as she could to Oliver without actually being on the gurney with him.  He was so still and while the monitor consistently showed that his vitals were strong, Felicity didn’t like the gray cast to his face or the fact that after four hours, he still hadn’t woken up.  It was after midnight and still he slept.  Diggle kept telling her that it was worse than it looked and that he would be back to full strength in a few short weeks.  When she asked why they were letting him sleep, Diggle explained that contrary to popular opinion, keeping someone who may be concussed awake was no longer considered a benefit.  To the contrary, sleep was important for healing and the monitor kept them apprised of his vitals.  Yet, Felicity remained worried.  She needed him to open his eyes.  His phone vibrated again and without looking down she knew it was Moira.  She picked it up off the gurney.

“Diggle?” she called, holding the phone out and it disappeared from her hand.  She put her hand back into Oliver’s and willed him to wake up.  Diggle answered Oliver’s phone.

“Mrs. Queen, it’s John Diggle,” he began but was quickly interrupted.  He was silent for a minute before he spoke again.

“He’s fine, ma’am.  He left his phone in the car when I dropped him off at Ms. Smoak’s place.  I didn’t realize it was there until I ran out to get my own phone and heard it ring,” Diggle smoothly lied.

“I’m at home, ma’am,” Diggle said after a moment of silence and he looked at Felicity.  She met his eyes and shrugged.  Let Moira think she was trollop.  She didn’t care.  Oliver’s cover was more important.

“Well, yes, ma’am, I’m sure she was there.  She greeted him at the door,” Diggle said, his confusion evident.  “No, ma’am, I’m quite certain they didn’t leave.  Ms. Smoak does not have a car as of yet and Oliver indicated he would call me if he needed transportation back to the Manor.”

After another moment, Diggle nodded before speaking again, “Yes, ma’am, I’ll have him call you as soon as I get his phone back to him.”

He went to say something else but then looked at the phone, realizing that Moira hung up on him.

“She seemed to think that you wouldn’t be there, Felicity.”

“Oh,” was all Felicity said turning her attention back to Oliver.  She pressed a kiss to the bare arm closest to her, before resting her forehead on it.  His skin was warm against her cold forehead and once for the millionth time since Diggle finished tending to Oliver, she wished they were alone so she could crawl onto the gurney and burrow into his side.  _I wonder where Moira thought I would be,_ Felicity thought drowsily.  Her eyes closed in exhaustion just as she heard the door to the lair open and light footsteps running down.

“Food,” Lyla said, shoving a bag under her nose.  “You need to eat.  You’re still recovering from your kidnapping and you need to have energy when that bear you’re half lying on wakes up and tries to walk out of here.”

Felicity gave a small laugh, and reluctantly pulled herself up to a sitting position to take the bag from Lyla.  The smell of burgers and fries hit her and her stomach growled loudly much to Lyla’s amusement.  She took the drink Lyla waved at her and took a sip.  Aw…coca cola and not the gross diet kind.  She dug into the bag and pulled the burger out.  Despite the circumstances, her mouth watered in anticipation.

“Why would Moira think you wouldn’t be at home, Felicity?”

Felicity blinked at Diggle, confused.  What was he talking about?  She took a bite of her burger, looking at him in puzzelment.

“When I told her I dropped Oliver at your place, she asked me if I was quite certain you were home.  Why would she think you wouldn’t be at home?”  Diggle prodded, taking the burger Lyla held out to him.  Felicity frowned.

“I don’t know,” she began slowly and then paused, recalling the oddness of their conversation.  Her earlier suspicions came flooding back and she looked towards her bag that held the book that was identical to the one in Oliver’s foot locker.  _She seemed to know who released the drug into the Glades.  She warned me, albeit cryptically, that the Cadre was still coming for me.  She begged me to end things with Oliver before he was hurt because of me.  She begged me to keep him out of this._   Felicity’s thoughts whirled in her mind and now, coupled with Moira’s surprise that Felicity was at home, the oddly shaped pieces of the puzzle began to fit together.  Where they fit in the larger picture remained to be seen, but they were definitely a part of it.  Felicity looked up at Diggle and Lyla, meeting their expectant stares.  She glanced over at Oliver. 

“I need Oliver to be awake for this, Dig.  He needs to hear this first.” 

“That sounds ominous,” Lyla said the curiosity evident in her voice.  She took a healthy bite of her burger before snagging Diggle’s drink from him.  At his look, she shrugged, and drank nearly half.  He rolled his eyes, reached around her, and took the one she set on the table.

“I hope to God I am wrong, but I don’t think I am.”

Checking on Oliver one more time, Felicity sat before her computers and began entering names and dates.  She added a cross-referencing code to the program and at the last minute, she added the Queen’s Gambit.  She fervently hoped that her suspicions were for naught, but she could not shake her gut feeling that she was absolutely right in her suspicions.  This was not something she could just sit on while her program worked.  She had to tell Oliver and trust that he would at least listen and then do what they always did when new information came their way – work the problem. 

Diggle watched Felicity carefully, munching on the fries from Lyla’s bag.  Lyla gave him a dirty look.

“You always tell me to skip the fries for you and then end up eating half of mine,” she complained, shoving his hand away.  He grinned at her, before sneaking another handful.

“What about the book?”

Felicity looked up from the computer in surprise and Diggle just shrugged.

“I remember things,” was all he said and Felicity gave him a small smile.

“That too will need to wait for Oliver to wake up,” she said and Diggle frowned. 

“It’s going to be bad, isn’t it?”

“What’s going to be bad?”

At the sound of Oliver’s voice, Felicity whirled around in her chair.  While they were talking, he somehow pushed himself up to a sitting position and was in the process of removing the monitor’s sensors from his chest.  The monitor began beeping and Diggle walked over to turn it off.  Oliver gingerly felt the bandage on the back of his head as Felicity rushed to his side.

“How do you feel? Does your head hurt? You should be lying down!”

Oliver slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug.  He kissed her forehead, leaving his lips pressed there for a moment.

“I’m fine.  A slight headache, but I’m fine.”

Diggle walked over to him, with a penlight in one hand.  He waited for Oliver to release Felicity before motioning for him to sit up straight.  Felicity moved aside.

“You know the drill,” Diggle said as he began asking Oliver to count backwards from one hundred, to recite the months of the year, and then had him get up from the gurney, walk before telling him to sit back down.  He then examined Oliver’s eyes and last, the wound on the back of his head.

“You need to follow up with a real doctor, but I think you’ll be fine.”

“What reason do I give him?”

“You hit your head on the hatchback to the car.  It’s a similar wound and he shouldn’t ask too many questions.”

“He’ll go tomorrow,” Felicity promised and Oliver gave her an amused look.  She arched a brow and he grinned.

“I’ll go tomorrow,” Oliver repeated to Diggle and pulled Felicity back into his arms.  She went willingly, stepping between his legs to snuggle in closer and lay her cheek on his chest.  She rested one hand on his heart, the steady thumping calming her.  Thoughts of Moira flitted through her mind but it could wait a few minutes more.

“I was worried,” she whispered. “I don’t like being worried.”

“Neither do I,” Oliver pointed out, referring to her decision to crash their fight at the depot.

“Not the same, Oliver.”

“You can’t expect me not to go all cave-man when you put yourself in danger.  You are still very much a target and given half a chance, any one of those men would have taken you down.”

“Go cave-man” Felicity allowed, “Just not on me.  I chose this life.  I chose you.  Don’t take my choices from me.  I could not stand it if you didn’t trust me enough to know my limitations.  I decide for myself.”

“At least, if at all possible, can it be a conversation before any decision is made?”

“I can do that,” Felicity said but then qualified, “but then that goes for you, too.  Rushing off to the depot without back up?”

“She has a point,” Diggle said. “A point I’ll be making over on the mats as soon as your thick head heals.”

“That’s different….” Oliver protested but Felicity was already shaking her head.

“No, no it’s not.  I worry just as much.  Diggle worries.  So, no.  It’s not.  I get there are times when you will have to make split second decisions.  There will be times when I will have to do the same.  But those other times?”

“We talk about it,” Oliver sighed.  This was going to kill him.  Opening his eyes, he met Diggle’s sympathetic gaze.  Yes, Diggle understood as the woman he loved stood right next to him, munching on fries out of a bag.  Lyla caught his glance and grinned as if to say she was looking forward to watching this all play out.  He mentally shot her the finger and her grin widened.  Oliver went back to rubbing his cheek against Felicity’s head, enjoying the feel of her fingers brushing against the skin of his back.  He knew he was fine the minute his mind began to imagine those fingers elsewhere on his body and he shifted on the gurney. 

He brushed Felicity’s lips with his own and then gingerly stood from the gurney.  The world did not tip and he scored one for himself.

“I should change, get home,” he said, looking around for his clothes.  He stopped when he felt Felicity’s hand come to rest on his arm.

“Yes, but first, there is a conversation we need to have.”

Her face was solemn and there was a slight wariness to her gaze that had not been there a few mere seconds ago.  Oliver looked to Diggle and Lyla and saw they were just as much in the dark as he.  He reached for the hoodie he saw lying at the foot of the gurney and shrugged it on, zipping it over his chest.  He sat back on the gurney, bracing his hands on either side of his legs.

“Okay,” he said slowly, a sense of foreboding sweeping up his back.  He recalled the words he woke too; _it’s going to be bad, isn’t it?_

“What I’m about say, you’re not going to like it.  It’s going to make you angry.  Likely at me, but I’m asking you to just hear me out,” Felicity said, her hands fluttering until she clasped them in front of her.

“At you?” Oliver repeated already not liking where this conversation was going.  He tried to smile. “Not possible.  Whatever it is, we’ll handle it like we always do.”

“Remember those words when I’m done, okay?” Felicity said shakily without returning his smile.

Oliver frowned and his apprehension grew.  It couldn’t be that bad.  Only if Felicity’s hesitation was any indication, she believed it was. 

“Earlier tonight, just as I was leaving to meet Lyla and Diggle to come to the lair, I received a request from your mother for assistance with her e-mail,” Felicity began.  Oliver immediately opened his mouth to express his relief that this was all that was worrying her, but shut it when Felicity shot him a look.

“As you were probably just about to say, she didn’t need help.  She wanted to talk to me about you.  Specifically, how I am a danger to you.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Oliver began and then stopped when this time Lyla gave him a look.  He closed his mouth and resumed his silence.

“You and I know that, but your mother?  She is looking at this in terms of potentially losing her son again.  For her, it’s not ridiculous.  It’s a very real threat.”

“You’re defending her,” Oliver said in surprise and Felicity nodded, just as surprised as Oliver at how she jumped to Moira’s defense.

“She loves you, Oliver, and her fear that something is going to happen to you because of me is very real.”

“That does not give her the right to call you into her office to lecture you.  We are none of her business.”

“It gives her every right.  She is your mother,” Felicity countered and Oliver again looked at her in surprise.

“I can’t believe you’re defending her,” he said again and Felicity shrugged.

“Neither can I.  She’s made no secret that she dislikes me, and I’m not exactly President of the Moira Queen Fan Club, but I understand her concern.  I share it.  I can’t help but share it.”

Oliver and Felicity exchanged a long look that said more than words could at that point.  It was intimate and filled with secret words neither was ready to say.  Yet, there they were; dancing lightly in the air between them, patiently waiting.

“So Moira summoned you to her office to essentially tell you to break up with Oliver?” Lyla asked and Felicity nodded. 

“Yes.  At first it was about the danger I posed and then it became about the danger I was still in and she warned me.”

“Warned you?” Diggle asked, the tension in the room rising at Felicity’s words.  Oliver straightened on the gurney.

“Warned you?  In what way?  What did she say?” Oliver asked, suddenly concerned that perhaps the Cadre would attempt to get at Felicity through his mother.   _Don't be ridiculous,_ Oliver thought.  

“She warned me to not be so foolish to believe they were done with me,” Felicity said and Oliver’s eyebrows shot up.

“That’s not a warning, Felicity,” Oliver said in a gentle, soothing tone.  “That was my mother giving you advice.”   

“Oliver,” Diggle sighed over Oliver's patronizing voice.  This was going to get rough.

Felicity scratched her head, starting to feel foolish.  Perhaps she was reading too much into Moira’s words.  Perhaps she was being paranoid.  The image of the book falling from the box flashed before her eyes.  No, no.  There was enough circumstantial evidence to support her suspicion; enough for them to at least look into the possibility of Moira being involved with the Cadre.  Felicity squared her shoulders and forged on. He needed to know.  He needed to understand where their search may lead and what he may be confronted with.  If her suspicions were correct, he needed to be prepared.  It didn’t make it any easier though.  This was his mother; his family.  Felicity knew she could lose him over this; that he could end up hating her for this but this was not just about her.  It was about Lyla and every other unknown person or family the Cadre hurt over the years.

“No, it was more than that.  You weren’t there, Oliver.  You didn’t see her, the look in her eyes. She was sending me a message.  Or trying to, but then the news about Haze broke while I was in her office.  Both of us were caught up in the report.  She was in shock and then she whispered something,” Felicity looked at Oliver nervously before continuing.  “She whispered, ‘he did it’ before suddenly turning to me and begging me to end things with you.”

Oliver was already shaking his head in denial, “No, you’re mistaken.  She was whispering.  You didn't hear her correctly.  I'm sure you misunderstood her.”

“No, Oliver.  I was standing right next to her.  And I think she did it on purpose.”

“What do you mean?” asked Lyla when Oliver said nothing.  He was staring at Felicity as if she suddenly sprouted two heads.  His gaze was disconcerting and lacking any of the usual warmth she normally found in his eyes.  Felicity resisted the urge to rub her arms against the sudden chill.

“The entire conversation was just odd.  The cryptic warning – and _it was_ just that, a warning – to the whispered revelation was odd.....so unlike my limited interactions with her.  Moira is always controlled, never saying anything she doesn’t mean to say.  This meeting, it was awkward and odd, but everything she did, everything she said, was purposeful, calculated.  She was trying to tell me something.”

“To what end?” asked Diggle, nodding in agreement with Felicity’s assessment of Moira. Felicity felt herself beginning to shake.  The look on Oliver’s face told her that this was going to be beyond bad.

“I think your mother believes that I’m working with the Green Arrow to hunt down who took me and she wanted me to deliver a message to him.”

“You believe my mother wants to talk to me?” Oliver asked in disbelief and suddenly laughed.

“Oliver,” Diggle said again and this time it was loaded with meaning as Diggle tipped his head to Felicity who hadn’t moved. 

“Exactly what message do you think my mother wanted you to give me?” Oliver asked, dread coating every word.  _Don’t say it, don’t say it. Just don’t say it.  This is my mother._

“This! Everything I’m telling you.  So that you will go to her and demand what she knows about Haze.  She needs something from you, I’m certain, but what she needs only she can tell you.” 

“Felicity, do you understand what you are saying?” Lyla asked quietly from her position by the computer desks.  Felicity slowly nodded.

“If she knows about Haze, she knows about the Cadre,” Felicity said.  “I’m sorry, Oliver, I’m sorry, but what other explanation is there?”

“You must have misunderstood,” he said again but Felicity shook her head.  She had to be wrong.  There had to be another explanation.  His mother would not be involved in the heinous crimes of the Cadre.  She could not have been involved with Felicity’s kidnapping, and torture. 

“All of this,” he argued, waving his hand around, “is pure speculation.  There is nothing that connects her to the Cadre.”

“Actually, there is,” Felicity responded quietly and went to her bag.  She took the book out and turned to face Oliver.  His eyes immediately zeroed in on the book, staring at it as if it were a weapon.

“Where did you get that?”

“From a box.  In my office.”

“Your office?”

“Yes.  The box was from before.  During my first week at QC.  One of my first assignments involved a hardware refresh.  I was assigned to your mother’s office.  I must have accidentally swept the book into the box along with the hardware I set on her desk for removal.”

Oliver stood up, running his hands over his head.  He winced as he came in contact with the bandage on the back of his head.  He peeled it off, tossing it in the garbage.  He looked back at the book still resting in Felicity’s hands and then met her eyes.  He didn’t say anything. 

“You have one, too.  A book.  I saw it in your foot locker,” Felicity said and he didn’t deny it.  Oliver remained silent as he paced back and forth in front of them.  He stopped in front of the case that normally held his suit and stared through it. 

“I was taken shortly thereafter,” Felicity finished and fell silent.  He needed to connect everything she was saying himself.  He either believed her or not and as Felicity stood there, her stomach a knot of apprehension, she suddenly wondered what she would do if he didn’t believe her.  She expected a fight, resistance, but she never considered that he wouldn’t ultimately put the pieces together the same way she did.  _Why would he believe me over his own mother?_

Oliver turned back around, his eyes immediately going back to the book Felicity still held.  His father’s words came to haunt him.  _Take it, Oliver.  Learn to read it, and right my wrongs.  Take it.  It will lead you to the head of the monster.  Take it, learn to read it._ Oliver recalled the last part of what his father said before he killed himself.  _Be gentle with your mother. Forgive her.  She loves you and Thea beyond reason._   At the time, he didn’t realize that his father’s words about the book and his mother were connected.  He stood up and came towards Felicity, taking the book from her and began flipping through it.  Like the one in his footlocker, the pages were blank.  He gave Felicity a hard look.  She met his gaze evenly.

“You are telling me that my mother is a member of the Cadre,” Oliver stated harshly, very much the Green Arrow right now. 

“She is either a member of the Cadre or knows who they are,” Felicity qualified.  “We can’t ignore the connections.”

“What connections?” Oliver said coldly, pacing away from Felicity.  “All you have is an odd conversation and a book you found in a box that anyone could have messed with while you were gone.  How the fuck do you get to my mother being part of a conspiracy to do God knows what to the city? What connects that book connect to the Cadre?”

The anger Oliver was trying to control pushed at Felicity.  She wanted to back off, retreat but she couldn’t.  Moira, for some unknown reason, revealed herself to Felicity and now she needed to get Oliver to see, to accept, and to find out what he could from his mother.  There was one way she could do that, one way that would make Oliver listen if not believe. No, to believe he would need evidence, but Felicity could make him listen.  She glanced back at the computers; saw her program was still running.  Felicity took a breath, knowing she was going to have to go places she normally avoided.  Now was not the time to shut the door on her memories.  Now was not the time to cower away from the nightmares that chased her in her sleep.  Now was the time to face them, to give them a voice, to take away their power, and to take those final steps in reclaiming her life.

“Me. I’m the connection.  I connect this book to your mother, to the Cadre.  Me.  Me.  Every day for nearly two months, I was tortured with unimaginable pain.  I was degraded and humiliated.  They forced me to believe I was nothing, that I was worthless.  I was electrocuted over and over again for not being able to answer their questions.   _His questions._   The same questions over and over again.  And every time I gave the same answer, electricity coursed through my body.”

The silence in the lair was deafening as Felicity gave words to her nightmares.  Without realizing it, Felicity had given her main interrogator a gender.  Something she'd never done before.  Lyla stood, tensely holding herself together, the only person in the room who knew what Felicity endured.  Lyla was trained to withstand capture; Felicity was not and she endured.  No one spoke, the air filled with a nightmare that echoed in their ears as if they were watching it unfold in front of them.  Everyone was listening as Felicity continued talking, her words coming fast now, hurling out of her mouth like darts, each one landing with precision on her listeners. 

“ _Where is the book? Who did you tell about the book? Did you read the book? Did you scan it? Upload it? Design a program around it? Did you hack into any systems to discover the bank account? Who is your contact at the NSA?  With whom did you share the information? With whom? Tell me, with whom?_ Over and over and over, the same questions with the same answers.  I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know anything….zap….zap… _ZAP_!”

Felicity was breathing hard by the time she was done, her body shaking as she relived her memories aloud.  She stood there, struggling to keep it together when all she really wanted to do was to curl in a ball and cry.  Instead, she remained still, face pale, as her living nightmare played over and over in her mind. 

Oliver didn’t move either.  He stood apart from her, staring at the floor, his hands fisted.  He wanted to go to her, hold her and keep the nightmares at bay.  But he didn’t.  He stayed where he was, in denial, refusing to believe anything she told him.  But he was listening.

“I am the connection, Oliver.  Me.  All of this started because of this book that landed in my possession without me knowing it.  They believed I had it, that I knew what was in it, or how to read it.  They didn’t once consider any other option.”

“You are asking me to believe my mother had something to do with you being taken,” Oliver finally said.  “You are asking me to trust in your memory of a time you repeatedly claimed to not being able to recall with any sort of accuracy.”

Felicity absorbed the blow of Oliver’s words, her shoulders curling forwards.  Her heart wrenched and a blessed numbness began to swirl in her stomach.  She grasped it, willing it to spread.  At Oliver’s words, Diggle stirred, but Lyla held him back.

“I remember what the Cadre wanted, Oliver.  They made sure I didn’t forget.  I am asking you to listen and to treat this information like we’ve treated all the information we’ve gathered thus far.  We pursue it until we can dismiss it.”  Felicity’s voice shook and she fought hard to steady it.  A perverse side of her refused to break at this moment.  She would do so alone, where no one could see…. _where Oliver couldn’t see._

“You’re wrong, Felicity.”

“I want to be wrong but I don’t think I am.”

“You are asking me to believe my mother is capable of harming an innocent woman!  You are asking me to believe you over my own mother!” Oliver suddenly shouted turning back to her, his eyes wild with rage.  He was beyond speaking to now.  He needed proof.  Cold hard proof.  Before she could say anything more, before she could tell him the search she was running, the computer behind her gave an alert that her search pattern discovered something.  Turning, she read what was on the screen and closed her eyes.  She wanted to be wrong.  She wasn’t. She was right.

“Don’t believe me,” Felicity said, turning back to Oliver.  “Believe the evidence.”

She stepped aside and Oliver walked over to read what was on the monitors.  He heard Diggle’s quick, indrawn breath at what was on the screen.  It was all there; a money trail leading from QC to off-shore accounts that were then redirected to another off-shore account before being funneled to the cargo ships from China; there was the periodic increased funding to QC’s Applied Science Division coinciding with pharmaceutical research as well as equipment to stock a research laboratory, and then there was the funding for the acquisition of a small pharmaceutical in China that Oliver was currently recommending disapproval.  There was more, but it was this last bit of information, the pharmaceutical in China, that had Oliver turning away from Felicity’s computers.    

He looked at Felicity, sorrow and apprehension filling her eyes.  She reached out a hand, wanting to comfort him but he backed away from her.  It was too much.  Felicity shut down.  She needed to get out of here.  To be alone.  She could feel the phantom sting of electricity coursing through her body and she wanted to cry out.  She would not break. This, Moira Queen, would not be her undoing.

“I need some air,” Felicity said and then turned, slowly climbing to the club.  Oliver let her go.

Oliver turned away to find Diggle and Lyla staring at him.  Anger still rolled through him, but there was also something more.  Doubt about his belief in his mother, and grief at the idea that she was capable of being a part of a criminal enterprise.

“Did you two know about this?”

“No.  She wouldn’t talk to us without you.  Said this was something you should hear first,” Diggle answered for the both of them.  Lyla said nothing, just stared at him as she rubbed her wrists.  Oliver glanced down and saw the faint marks of the probes and he turned away.

“This is my mother,” Oliver began but Diggle interrupted him with a single pointed finger in his face.

“After everything we’ve seen, the people we’ve encountered, friends of your parents…..this isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.  I’m guessing the book in your footlocker was your father’s.  To doubt your mother is completely innocent in any of this is to ignore all of the facts and evidence staring you in the face.”

“It’s my mother,” Oliver said, disbelief still plainly evident in his voice.  He didn’t want to believe.  He wasn’t ready.  Even in the face of undeniable evidence, he wanted Felicity to be wrong.  Lyla turned away to read the computer screens.  Felicity’s program neatly connected the dots from the Cadres control of the Glades to Moira Queen.  Even Robert’s name popped up.  It was thorough.  Lyla guessed that Felicity knew she would need to be very thorough to voice her suspicions.

“I believe Felicity and not because it’s Felicity but because of the evidence that supports everything she has told us.  There is no doubt that there is a trail connecting your mother to everything we know thus far about the Cadre.  For God’s sake, man, the results include connections to your father!”

“She’s wrong,” Oliver protested but it was lacking the same conviction from earlier. 

“You know there is one sure-fire way to find out,” Lyla mused as she studied the information on the computer.  “I think we should give Moira her wish.”

“Moira needs to meet the Green Arrow,” Diggle answered and Lyla nodded. She looked over at Oliver, waiting for him to agree.  

“It can’t be me,” Oliver said.  “I have to be there as myself.  And we do this now.  No waiting.”

“Agreed.  Diggle should wear the suit.  You go home.  I’m going to guess, based on the number of calls she made to your phone tonight, your mother is waiting up for you.”

“It needs to look good.  There needs to be some damage,” Oliver said as he started pulling out his other clothes so he could give the rest of his suit to Diggle.

“I may have to put an arrow in you.  Or at least land a punch,” Diggle said, not bothering to hide the fact that he hoped it was one or the other.  Oliver gave him a look and the three continued planning.

Less than twenty minutes later, Diggle was squeezed into the Green Arrow suit and Oliver was dressed in his clothes from the day.  Felicity hadn’t come back down to the lair yet.  Oliver turned to Lyla but she held up a hand.

“I’ll make sure she’s okay.”

Oliver nodded and followed Diggle up the stairs.  As he turned toward the back entrance, he glimpsed Felicity standing in the center of the club, staring up through the skylights.  She was awashed in moonlight almost ethereal in appearance.  Beyond his touch.  Oliver felt an awning in his stomach at the thought.  As if sensing him, she slowly turned her head to meet his eyes.  Oliver hesitated for a minute but then turned away, leaving without speaking.  He felt her eyes follow him out and when he closed the door without looking back, he felt his stomach drop out from under him.

* * *

 

It was nearly two in the morning when Oliver strode into the Manor.  He tossed his coat over the banister of the stairs and wandered into the study to pour himself a drink before going in search of his mother.  He paused in the doorway when he saw Moira was sitting on the couch facing the fireplace.  She was holding an empty glass as she stared at the dying flames.  He watched her for a minute, looking for some sign of the evil she appeared to be involved in but saw nothing but his mother.  She was deep in thought, but maintained her perfect posture, legs elegantly crossed at the ankles, hair meticulously coiffed.  This was his mother.

“You’re up late,” he observed and headed to the bar to pour himself a drink.  Moira jerked in surprise at Oliver’s voice.  “Waiting for me?”

“Oliver! You startled me!” she gasped, placing a hand over her heart.  Oliver tipped his head in apology.

“Sorry, Mom, I thought you heard me come in.  May I pour you another drink?” he asked, pointing to her glass.

Moira nodded her head, and held out her glass.  She looked at Oliver’s face as he took her glass, seeing lines of fatigue around his eyes.  There was something else, too, a sadness that had been missing these last few weeks.  When Oliver first came home from the island, he appeared cloaked in sadness.  Over time, she became accustomed to it being a part of him.  Now, seeing it visible once again, Moira realized it had been missing.  She wondered at seeing it again tonight and felt uneasy that she perhaps contributed to it.  Perhaps Ms. Smoak did as she asked.

“You look tired, Oliver.”

“Yes.”

“Have you been with Miss Smoak this entire time?”

“Yes,” Oliver said, not bothering to elaborate.  His mother would think what she wanted.  A flash of guilt swept through him that she was bound to consider what exactly he and Felicity were doing until this time of the night and that Felicity would come out the losing end of that consideration.  He suddenly found himself clarifying.

“Only talking, Mom.  Only talking,” Oliver said, shaking his head as if he were amused at the direction of his mother’s thoughts.  Moira nodded and there was a flash of disappointment in her eyes before she turned her gaze away.  Then again, perhaps Ms. Smoak didn’t do as she was asked.  Once again, Moira tapped down on the growing admiration she had for the woman who continued to defy her.

“It’s none of my business, Oliver.”

“Oh, I think you want to make it your business.”

It came out with more bite than Oliver intended.  Sighing, he brought Moira her drink and settled in the chair to her left and across from the French doors leading out to the garden.  He swirled his drink in his hand, pulling his tie completely off and laying it across the arm of the chair.

“You don’t like her,” Oliver stated, finally meeting his mother’s eyes.  They were warm as they gazed at him; filled with a mother’s love.  _It can’t be true._

“Did she tell you that?”

“No.  It’s actually fairly obvious.  And that, Mom, is unusual for you.  Normally, you hide your dislike of the women I date far more skillfully.”

“Oliver!” Moira protested.  “I don’t like or dislike Ms. Smoak.  I don’t know her, or where she comes from or anything about her family.  What I do know is that danger seems to follow her and I don’t want you caught in the crossfire. That is what I don’t like.”

“I can take care of myself, Mom.”

“I know that, but why tempt fate?”

Oliver shook his head, his mind wandering back to Felicity and how she stood in the shaft of moonlight, so unattainable.  He made a mistake tonight.  He did not regret disbelieving Felicity.  He regretted how he handled it.  Oliver knew Felicity expected him to handle her words badly.  After all, this was his mother, his family.  To hear someone accuse the woman who raised him and loved him unconditionally of the atrocities the Cadre was involved with was a bitter pill to swallow.  Yet there was another truth; one that was nagging at him since he saw the evidence connecting his mother _and_ father to the Cadre.  Hadn’t he wondered if there would come a time when he would find himself up against his mother?  As recently as the night he rescued Felicity the thought had floated through his mind.  To hear it spoken aloud, though, made it real.  Too real.  Lightening split the sky quickly followed by thunder. Looking out the window, Oliver saw it was just starting to rain.  He looked at the clock over the mantle.  A part of him was nagging at him to go back to the lair, to Felicity.   Glancing at the clock again, he saw he had a minute left. 

“Felicity is incredibly special, Mom.  Strong.  Filled with such hope,” Oliver thought about how Felicity defended his mother even as she was telling him her suspicions about Moira’s involvement.  “She always sees the good in people; even if they are less than deserving.  I like her.  I more than like her.  It would be nice if you could get to know her before judging her.” A sense of unease filled Oliver as he again thought about how he left Felicity at the lair.  He wanted to leave and get back to her.  He _needed_ to get back to her.

“All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy.  To be safe,” Moira said, studying Oliver intently.  While he was physically present, she knew his mind was elsewhere.  “I believe you think you are happy, but she’s a mystery.  And that interests you.  In the meantime, you put your life at risk while you attempt to unravel her secrets.”

“There is nothing mysterious about Felicity,” Oliver replied. “She is exactly what you see and then some.  She’s better than all of us.”

“Oliver, are you in lo—”

At that precise moment, thunder cracked and as rain poured from the skies, a man dressed in green hurtled through the glass French doors, spraying glass across the room.  He rolled nimbly to his feet, an arrow notched and ready, pointing directly at Moira’s heart.  Oliver dove in front of Moira, protecting her with his body.

“Moira Queen, I have questions for you,” Diggle thundered, his voice completely disguised by the voice modulator. As if on cue, thunder rolled and the lights in the house went out, shrouding the room in darkness.  Rain fell heavily, the wind blowing it into the room.  The spray struck Oliver as he knelt in front of her.  Moira pressed herself back into the couch, her glass falling and shattering on the floor.  Realizing who was in the study, she pushed at Oliver’s shoulders.

“Please,” Moira said in a shaking voice as she tried to get around Oliver.  He held her back.

“Stay behind me, Mom.”

“No, Oliver, please.”

“Mom! Stay back!”

Diggle turned the arrow on Oliver, and Oliver sighed.  If he was going to avoid an arrow in the leg or arm, he had to attack.  He launched himself at Diggle, who took him down easily.  The glint in Diggle’s eyes told Oliver he was enjoying this immensely.

“Hey, watch the head,” Oliver hissed as thunder cracked.  Wind gusted into the room, sending the papers from the desk into the air to swirl around them.  Diggle tapped Oliver’s jaw with his fist, pulling the punch at the last second.  Moira screamed as Oliver let himself fall to the ground.  She fell beside him, protecting him with her body.

“Stop! Stop!  Please don’t hurt my son!  Please!  Oliver, stop, please!  I need to talk to him, Oliver.  I need to talk to him!”

Oliver was pushing himself up as Moira spoke.  At her words, he froze keeping his back to her.  He closed his eyes.  _I think your mother believes that I’m working with the Green Arrow to hunt down who took me and she wanted me to deliver a message._ He closed his eyes at Moira’s admission, Felicity’s truth crashing over him.  He looked up into Diggle’s face and saw sympathy as well as anger.  _Lyla_.  Oliver pushed himself to his feet and turned his back on Diggle, lifting his mother to her feet, his hands gripping her arms.

“What are you talking about?” he demanded, searching her face, forgetting that Diggle was the one who was supposed to be asking all the questions.  He didn’t care.  He could see the guilt in her expression, as well as determination.

“Please, please just hear me out,” Moira beseeched him and Diggle.  She looked between the two of them, her hands out in supplication. 

Diggle motioned for both of them to sit on the couch.  He stood across from them, arrow still aimed at Oliver.  Moira grasped Oliver’s hands, ignoring Diggle.  Only his mother would be so dismissive of a vigilante.

“I’m sorry,” she said to him and Oliver’s stomach twisted.  Oh, God.  His mother.  His mother. 

“I need your help,” she implored the Green Arrow.  “Please.  For my children.”

“Why should I help you?” Diggle demanded through the voice modulator.

“Because it will save thousands of lives,” Moira begged as she gripped Oliver’s hands, trying to keep them clasped in hers.  Moira felt her world crashing around her as the disgust on Oliver’s face penetrated the armor she wore around her.  Her breath caught in her throat at the anger in his expression.

“What have you done, Mom?” Oliver asked, pulling his hands away, needing distance.

“Saved you and Thea from harm.  From a madman.”

“Moira Queen, are you a member of the Cadre?” demanded Diggle as the Green Arrow, trying to regain control of this conversation.  Moira didn’t look at the Green Arrow; instead she remained focused on Oliver.  Tears trailed down her cheeks but Oliver remained immovable.  He stared at her, waiting for her to answer the question.

“Yes.  Yes, I am.  Since it’s founding.  I had no choice.  I had to protect my children. My family,” Moira confessed clutching at Oliver as he moved away from her.  He brushed her aside, bending over at the waist, breathing deeply against the nausea that crawled up his throat.  His mother.  His mother. His mother. His mother.  He could hear her weeping but felt nothing at her tears. 

“What is the Cadre?” Oliver asked, playing his part as he stepped further away from Moira.  He needed her to say it.  All of it.

“It’s a group of people.  Founded for one purpose; destroy the Glades and anyone that gets in our way.”

Oliver closed his eyes, the truth coursing through him followed by betrayal.  His mother. _His mother_.

“Who are the Cadre?” Diggle asked, keeping his arrow on Oliver.  They needed names.  The names of the members, but Moira was past hearing him.  Her focus was on Oliver and how he moved further and further away from her.

“Oliver, please,” she begged reaching her hand out to him.  “Please, let me explain.” 

“The Cadre….you…..what did you do, Mom?”

“Whatever it was they needed.  I had to.  To protect you. Thea.  Your father and I had little choice.  Once we were in, there was no way out.”

He took another step away from her, standing closer to the door to the foyer. 

“Oliver, please,” she begged, tears coursing down her cheeks.

“Was the Cadre responsible for Felicity Smoak and Lyla Michaels’ kidnapping?” Diggle asked and Moira could only nod.  Oliver was done.

He shook his head, held up a hand towards his mother as she moved towards him.  He looked over to where Diggle was supposed to be standing.  Only he was gone.  Moira also looked and then groaned in despair.

“I need his help.  To stop them all.”

“He’ll be back,” Oliver said as he moved away.  “You’ve gotten his attention.  He’ll be back.”

“Oliver,” she implored and he shook his head. 

“Call the police, Mom.  Report this.  Protect Thea.”

“Oliver….”

“I can’t talk to you right now.”

Oliver turned and left the study without looking back.   He spied Thea’s car keys on the table and grabbed them.  Offering her a silent apology, he took her car and drove away from the Manor.  Looking in the rearview mirror, he saw his mother standing in the door looking after him.  The rain blurred her image.  Or perhaps it was his tears that made it difficult to see.

* * *

 

Lyla paced back and forth in the lair, waiting for Diggle’s return.  She eyed Felicity’s computers angry that she didn’t know how to use them.  She cursed Diggle and Oliver for leaving without any comms units so that she could get in touch with them.  Hearing the door to the lair open, she rushed to meet Diggle as he entered.  He spied her and was about to smile when the look on her face stopped him cold.

“What is it?” he asked, grabbing her arms.

“Felicity’s gone.”

“What? What do you mean gone?”

“Gone.  Just gone.  After you and Oliver left, I cleaned up down here and then grabbed her coat and bag to take her home.  When I went upstairs, she was nowhere to be seen.  I’ve been to her home, the office, and I even pinged her phone.  I can’t find her!”

“Did you try calling her?”  Diggle asked as he began changing.

“Of course!  Straight to voicemail.  She must have it off.  I even had A.R.G.U.S. run a search but unfortunately, my guys suck.  I need Felicity to find Felicity!”

“Shit. Shit. Shit.”

“Johnny, do you think the Cadre took her?”

Diggle paused, thought for a moment and then shook his head.

“No.  No, I think she needed space.  Tonight was rough for her.  And the way she and Oliver left things….no, I think she left on her own and I’m going to kick her ass all over the mats during our next sparring session.”

“Where would she have gone?”

“I have no idea.  Let’s go back to her place, see if we can pick up any clues there.  Shit.”

“I take it tonight confirmed Felicity’s suspicions?”

Diggle nodded and Lyla sighed. 

“Did she tell you who the Cadre was?”

“No….we kind of got off-track.” 

At that moment, Oliver entered the lair and both Diggle and Lyla turned to him in silence.  He froze at the expression on their faces. 

“What? What is it?” 

Diggle and Lyla didn’t say anything.  They stared at him in equal parts anger and worry.

“What?  What now?  It’s been a shit night so please, feel free to pile on.  It can’t get any worse than it already is,” he said when they didn’t speak.

“Felicity is missing.”

At Lyla’s words, Oliver’s heart stopped and he couldn’t breathe.  His heart felt suspended in mid-beat and he brought his hand to his chest as a surge of adrenaline had his heart back to beating in an unsteady rhythm.  He couldn’t move.  _Felicity is missing._   He stood there, staring stupidly at Diggle and Lyla and he couldn’t move.  His night just went from bad to worse.  Worse than worse.  _What is a word for worse than worse,_ he wondered, _Felicity would know.  I need to ask Felicity._

“Wha—” he croaked out before shaking his head. “Did they take her? How did they get past her security? How did they get past you?”

The last was directed at Lyla as Oliver took out his cell phone and called her.  It went straight to voice mail.

“I don’t think the Cadre was involved.  We think she left on her own.  Sometime after we left, I think Felicity just walked out of the club,” Diggle explained.

Oliver tried to take a breath but found he couldn’t.  He recalled the long look they exchanged before he left without speaking to her.  He rubbed at his chest. 

“Where would she go, Oliver?” asked Lyla and Oliver gave her a startled look.

“You know her better than anyone here.  After the night she had, where would she go?”

Oliver turned away, pinching the bridge of his nose as he paced.  He remembered the haunted look in her eyes as she spoke of her torture, the hurt on her face when he backed away from her as she tried to comfort him.  _Zap. Zap. ZAP._ It was the most she ever said about her time in captivity; despite how often they spoke of it to tease information from her memory.  _Fuck, where was she?_ And just like that, he suddenly knew.

 “I know where she is,” he said and raced out of the lair into the night.  Diggle went to follow him but Lyla held him back.

“He needs to fix this one alone,” she said and after a moment, he nodded.

“Tell me,” Diggle said as he cupped Lyla’s face in his palms.  “Was I that difficult?”

Lyla laughed softly as she raised herself onto her toes to kiss him.  She trailed kisses along his jaw before whispering in his ear.  “You were easy, John Diggle.  I was that difficult.”

She laughed as he swatted her on the behind before he stole her lips for another long kiss.

“Let’s go home,” she breathed and Diggle led the way. 

* * *

Oliver drove as close as he could to the burned out shell of the building he last saw on the night he rescued Felicity.  The lights of the car swept over the burned façade and landed on the small figure standing in the middle of the street, soaked to the bone.

“Felicity,” he called as he approached her and she turned her face in his direction.  She gave him a single look before giving him her profile again.  Lightening flashed in the sky followed by another crash of thunder.  She ignored him as she continued to stare at the building.  Anger flared in Oliver and he welcomed it over the mind-numbing fear of finding Felicity gone.

“Goddammit, Felicity!  What the fuck were you thinking?”

“I wanted to be alone.  I was going to walk home but ended up here.  Then it started raining,” she replied calmly.   Her voice was empty, monotone leaving him no clue as to what she was feeling.  Only he knew.  He, better than anyone, knew.  He once stood in her shoes, close to the edge after his return from the island. 

“You can’t do this! You can’t just leave without telling anyone!”

Felicity shrugged and Oliver grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her to face him.  She looked up at him, listless and numb.  A sliver of panic sliced through Oliver and he shook her gently.   

“Felicity!” Oliver shouted and she jerked in surprise at Oliver’s voice, the emotions tangled in the way he shouted her name.  Felicity clung to the numbness that had begun in the lair, embracing it closely in comfort.  She didn’t want to feel.  It was too much; Moira, telling Oliver, giving voice to her nightmares.  Oliver shook her again and anger suddenly coursed through her.  _Why was he here?_

“Stop it,” she yelled, trying to twist out of his hold.  “Stop!  Don’t you see? It’s too much, too soon.  Don’t you see?”

The flash of temper soothed the panic in Oliver but he wanted more from her.

“You don’t just leave like that.  You don’t just walk out, turn off your phone, and leave me half crazed out of my mind.”

“What do you care? What does it matter?  I do nothing but bring you grief.  Since meeting me, you’ve killed again, you’ve been shot, had your head practically cracked open and then you’re forced to hear accusations against your own mother!  What does it matter?”

“Because I met you!  None of that matters because all of it brought me you!”

Felicity stared up at him, wanting to believe the words he was shouting at her.  A small spark of hope broke through the numbness but she ruthlessly crushed it and tried to turn back to look at her prison.  Oliver wouldn’t let her.  He cupped her face in his palms and brought her closer.  Rain swept over them, pelting their faces, stinging in its ferocity.  There was a wildness to his gaze and Felicity felt her breath catch in her throat. 

“You left me,” he shouted in her face over the wind and the rain.  “You. Fucking. Left. Me.”

“What do you care?” she shouted back.  “I’m just some girl, a nobody you rescued that brings you nothing but grief.”

“Because I love you! Do you hear me? Because I love you!”

Felicity looked at Oliver in surprise as he stared down at her, breathing hard.  His eyes roved over her features as Felicity tried to speak but he never gave her a chance.  His lips were on hers and his arms wrapped around her waist, crushing her against him.  On their own volition, her arms slid around his neck.  He licked, nipped, and tugged at her bottom lip until she opened to him, giving as much as he was demanding.  Felicity slid her tongue in his mouth, dipping and tasting as their tongues tangled.  She felt the desperation in him, the panic at discovering her gone.  While it was what she needed at the time, she regretted the worry she caused.  

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, pulling back to pepper his face with kisses, her hands coming up to cup his face.  She pressed against him, her lips opening beneath his again.

“I’m sorry,” Oliver said before capturing her mouth again, his hand slipping to her bottom to nudge her closer.  He lifted his lips from hers.  "You were right.  About everything.  You were right.  I'm sorry. I'm sorry." 

"Oh, Oliver," she whispered and he rested his forehead against hers.  

“Don’t ever leave like that again,” he demanded and she nodded in agreement, as she took his lips in another kiss.

“Felicity?” he murmured as they continued to kiss, the air between them steaming with passion.

“I love you,” she whispered and Oliver closed his eyes.  Despite the turmoil of the night, peace unfurled within him.   _Mine,_ he thought just as she thought the same.  Taking her hand, he led her back to the car.  Just before she slipped inside, she looked back at the building that was her prison.  The Cadre burned it, to hide their presence.  But she survived it.  She survived them.  And from that horror, there rose something more beautiful, something stronger.  Hope.  And love.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Oliver close out the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad you all enjoyed the last chapter. It was very hard for me to write, because I knew this chapter was next and I was nervous.
> 
> You're welcome. Or I'm sorry. Oh, I don't know. ;-)

* * *

 

They rode in silence to Felicity’s house, the car thick with a delicious tension and unfulfilled promise as Oliver navigated the quiet streets of Starling City.  Rain drummed heavily on the windshield, keeping time with the beat of Felicity’s heart.  Lightening flashed and she met Oliver’s eyes in the reflection off the windshield.  Dark and stormy, his eyes pierced her to her core, and she curled her fingers around the edge of her seat, her stomach quivering in anticipation.  Oliver’s hands tightened around the steering wheel, his knuckles whitening as his grip intensified.  Felicity closed her eyes and swallowed, willing him to go faster.  As if reading her mind, Oliver pressed on the accelerator, and the silver BMW jumped forward.

It was only a few minutes later when Oliver pulled up to Felicity’s small townhome, and killed the engine.  Neither moved, savoring the electricity in the air as they sat in silence, staring out the window.  They stared straight ahead, the heavy staccato rhythm of the rain adding to the tension until Felicity thought she was going to burst out of her skin.  _Inside. Now._  As one, they pushed open their doors, and ran for the front door.  Felicity quickly unlocked it and pushed it open, disarming the security system.  _We need towels_ , she thought numbly, her body flushed with heat.  She turned to tell Oliver but never had the chance.  Before she could speak, she was pressed up against the front door, Oliver’s heavy body pinning her in place.  He stared down at her intently, the fierce intensity in his eyes causing her toes to curl.  She breathed in sharply, inhaling the warm scent that was distinctly Oliver.   His hands cupped her face as he stared down at her, desire turning his eyes the color of the night sky.

“Remember what I said, about needing hours and hours?” he rasped, his voice hoarse with suppressed passion.  Felicity nodded, her body flooding with warmth at the memory.

“Next time,” he promised and Felicity’s eyes widened and then she couldn’t think.  Oliver’s mouth was on hers; hot and wet, all tongue and lips.  She dropped her bag to the floor, bringing her arms up to grab his shoulders.  She raised herself up on her toes, offering him more of her mouth, giving him everything.  Their teeth nipped at each other, tongues swirling together.  He growled against her lips as her hips squirmed against the thigh he slipped between her legs.  He released her face, his hands going to the belt of her coat and she dropped her arms long enough for him to shove the heavy, wet wool off her shoulders so it slid to the floor.  The buttons on her navy blue silk blouse flew across the foyer as he pulled on the damp fabric until it split open across her breasts. 

Oliver broke the kiss long enough to gaze down at her breasts, one finger shaking as he traced the lace edge of her bra.  He slipped his hands inside, squeezing her breasts together and Felicity’s hips rolled against his thigh at the sensation of the callous tips of his fingers against the heat of her skin.  Oliver slid the shirt down her arms.  As soon as her arms were free, Felicity took his face in her hands, drawing his face back to hers, sliding her tongue between his lips.  The air was hot around them and the dark taste of Oliver flooded through her, making her ahce for more.  Felicity lifted one leg up to his hip, rocking against him.  He crushed her against his chest and the scrape of fabric against her breasts frustrated her.  She wanted skin.  His skin.  Her hands went to his shirt, and made fast work of the buttons.   Oliver kept his mouth fused to hers as he quickly removed his shirt and then her bra, pulling her back hard against him, and Felicity moaned in relief at the sensation of his chest rubbing against hers.  Oliver left her mouth, kissing and licking her neck, nipping at the swell of her breast.  He pushed one breast up with the palm of his hand, his mouth closing over the nipple.  Felicity’s head fell back against the door as his teeth grazed against the sensitive nub.  She clasped his head against her breast, her breath coming in hard short gasps.  She needed, God, she needed.   

Oliver was on fire.  It licked its way down his back, driving him deeper and deeper to distraction as he tried to touch Felicity everywhere.  He sucked her nipple, the sweet taste of her against his tongue, filling his senses, an erotic flavor so distinctly Felicity.  His hand grazed the leg she lifted to his hip as she rode his thigh, feeling the soft silk of the stocking against his fingertips.  He wanted skin.  More skin.  He slipped his hand under her skirt, and found lace.  The mental image of Felicity’s legs encased in silk thigh highs had him seeing red.  He pushed up her skirt, and pulled down her underwear just as her hands went to his belt.  She lowered her leg long enough to let her panties fall to the floor, and after kicking them free, she brought her leg right back up.  Oliver’s hands shoved her skirt back up, his hand going between her legs, feeling the slick folds.  _I need to slow down,_ Oliver thought and tried to back off, but the sounds Felicity was making, the heat of her skin, was fuel to the fire burning in him. And then his pants were gone, pooling around his ankles, and Felicity’s soft hands were stroking his erection.  He pushed against her hand, the friction nearly sending him into a frenzy. He tried to slow down.

“Don’t slow down,” Felicity gasped out between kisses.  “Hurry.  Hurry.  I _need_ you.  Now.”

He was undone.  Oliver lifted her up and she wound her legs around him as he slammed home, burying himself deep within her.  She cried out and a guttural groan was ripped from his chest at being inside her, feeling her tighten around his length.  They both froze, staring into each other’s eyes.  Felicity’s fingers gripped his shoulders as his fingers flexed into the soft skin of her bottom.  He moved and her pupils dilated in pleasure.  He moved again, biting back a curse as her eyes fluttered closed and her head fell back against the door.  Her fingernails dug into his shoulder and then she rocked against him.  Any control Oliver had left was lost.  He pounded into her, hips moving faster and faster, snaking an arm around her waist to protect her back from the door he was shoving her against.  She kept pace, her insides spiraling upwards, tighter and tighter.   She could feel the muscles on Oliver’s back tense and knew he was close.  He shifted the way he was holding her, changing the angle of how he moved in and out of her.  A soft cry escaped her as she tightened around him.  Within seconds, the night exploded around them and   Oliver groaned as he pushed inside her again, and then once more, his head falling onto her shoulder, the intensity of his orgasm causing his legs to shake.  Felicity quivered around him, slivers of pleasure racing through her body.  She wound her arms limply around his shoulders, breathing heavily.  There was nothing more perfect than this moment.

 

* * *

Somehow, they ended up on the couch in her small living room; the rest of their clothes lying on the floor in the foyer and the blanket she kept on the nearby chair tucked around them.  Felicity laid facing Oliver, their arms wrapped around each other and legs tangled.  Oliver’s hand caressed her back in slow, lazy circles.  She dozed, halfway between being awake and asleep, letting the rhythm of the rain wash over her.  Peace, unlike anything she felt since her rescue, filled her and Felicity could not help the shuddering breath she released.  Oliver’s arms tightened around her and he bent his head to capture her lips in long, lazy kiss. They lingered on each other’s lips, tasting each other, love and passion mixing between them.  

“Mmmmm,” Felicity murmured as Oliver trailed tiny kisses along her jaw to her neck.  He lingered on the hollow her shoulder, breathing her in deeply.  He would never get enough of this woman. 

“Tell me,” he whispered, not wanting to break the quiet intimacy surrounding them.  Felicity turned her head to press a kiss to the side of his neck as he explored the soft spot behind her ear with his lips and tongue.

“Peace,” she whispered back, equally protective of the bubble they created, “so much peace.”

Oliver smiled against her skin and he captured her lips again in another tender kiss.  They lost themselves in each other, tongues twisting and twining.  Felicity ran her hands down Oliver’s arms, and then back up and around his neck, drawing him even closer.  She rubbed her breasts rubbed against his chest, smiling as his chest rumbled; the vibration making her nipples stiffen even more.  Their lips slowly separated and they rested their foreheads against each other.  The rain slowed even more, the thunder moving further away.   Felicity drew her hand down his chest, her fingers pausing to explore one of the scars.

“That was the first one,” Oliver murmured.  “I was on the island for a mere day or so when a man put an arrow in me.”

Felicity’s fingers froze at his unexpected words but Oliver gently captured them and after bringing them to his lips for the softest of kisses, he returned them to his scar. Felicity touched the puckered wound lightly, and then slipped her arm over his shoulder to the matching scar on his back.

“The man became a friend.  When all I wanted was to find a way home, he taught me that first, in order to go home, I had to learn to survive.”

“Where is he?” Felicity asked and Oliver shook his head.  She pressed her lips to the scar, knowing Oliver was telling her that the man was dead.

“Was he the only one on the island with you?”

“No.  But he was one of the most important.”

Oliver’s fingertips trailed a path along the dips and curves of her body, leaving tendrils of heat in their wake.   She realized that the man Oliver spoke of was the one who taught him the unique skill of archery.

“The bow and arrow, the one in your footlocker?”

“His,” Oliver acknowledged.  “He taught me first.   While the island wasn’t deserted, Felicity, but there was no way for me to get home.  The only way off was controlled by men who weren’t inclined to give me a free ride.”

 

“They hurt you,” Felicity said softly, as she pressed a kiss to the scar, lightly stroking it with her tongue.  Oliver’s stomach clenched at the contact, and he felt the first stirring of heat along his spine.  He took her hand, and brought it around to his stomach, laying it against another scar.

“Yes,” was all he said and Felicity understood.  She gently touched the outline of the scar.

“Knife?” she asked as her fingertips explored the scar and he nodded.  She said nothing more, her hand moving down his belly to capture his cock in her hand.  He closed his eyes, pleasure engulfing him as she pulled and tugged at him, slipping her hand beneath him to squeeze him firmly.

“No more talk,” he said before rolling her beneath him and slipping inside her welcoming heat.  All thoughts of the island fled, as he rocked them to completion.

* * *

It was near dawn when Felicity woke to the sensation of being carried.  She murmured against Oliver’s shoulders, sweeping her lips against the shoulder her head rested on.

“Shhhhh,” he whispered as he laid her on her bed.  She rolled over on her side, giving him her back as he pulled the covers down from under her.  He slid in next to her, wrapping them in a cocoon of warmth, his body curving around her.

“Always shushing me,” Felicity murmured and Oliver gave a low chuckle, pressing a kiss to the nape of her neck.  Felicity hummed in pleasure as his arm slipped under her neck and his other hand began stroking her hip.

“You’re so soft,” Oliver breathed against her ear as hand swept over the front of her hips, grazing the curls between her legs.  Felicity’s breath hitched at the slight contact and she pressed back against him, feeling his growing erection.

“I moisturize.”

Oliver gave another small laugh, his hand sweeping back up to the swell of her hip, again teasing her with just the slightest of touches.  Heat bloomed between Felicity’s legs, and she ached to feel him inside her again.  He nuzzled her back between her shoulder blades, tenderly brushing his lips against the nearly-healed wounds on her back.  He felt anger stir, mixing with the desire once again building inside him.  His mother did this to her.  Oliver’s fingers flexed, clenching her hip.  Felicity turned her head to look over her shoulder at him.

“It’s okay,” she said, meeting his eyes, telling him without words that she knew exactly what he was thinking.

“It’s not,” he replied, relaxing his grip and smoothing the pads of his fingers over the spot he had gripped.  “She was a part of this.”

“Was it awful?” Felicity asked and Oliver paused in his caresses, his mind going back to the discovery of his mother’s involvement with the Cadre.  A surge of anger and disappointment pushed against him and he closed his eyes, sighing deeply.

“If she had shown one bit of remorse for what she had done, perhaps it would not have been so awful.  Instead, her only regret appeared to be my discovery of her ‘secret’ life.  She kept repeating it was to protect Thea and me, as if that would make everything she did okay.”

“She loves the both of you.  In her mind, that makes anything she does to protect you okay.”

Oliver didn’t say anything for a moment.  He didn’t want to talk about his mother.  Not now, maybe not ever.  He turned his attention back to Felicity’s smooth skin, lightly scraping his teeth over her shoulder blade.  She shivered and then moaned as he dipped his fingers between her legs, stroking her sensitive flesh gently.

“I don’t want to talk about this right now,” he whispered against her ear and Felicity’s was helpless to the sensual tenor of his voice.

“What do you want to talk about?” she gasped as he slipped a finger inside her, pressing the palm of his hand against her clit.  She wiggled against him, trying to get him to move his finger in and out of her.  He flicked it upwards inside her and Felicity clenched her thighs around his hand.  He continued to stroke her and Felicity gripped his hand, placing his fingers right where she needed them.  He rolled the pad of his fingers against her clit, once, twice and Felicity arched her back as she suddenly fractured into a million pieces.

“You.  I want to talk about you, only you.  What you like, what pleases you,” Oliver growled in her ear, as he lifted her leg and nudged at her from behind.  Felicity’s belly quivered as desire flared again. 

“You.  You please me.  Everything you do to me pleases me,” she whispered, her breath hitching in her chest at the sensations he was creating within her.  Oliver slid his hand down between her legs again, capturing her sensitive clitoris between his two fingers.  As Felicity arched her back again at the sensation, he pushed inside her from behind and a small cry escaped her lips.  She pushed back against him, her body stretched full, and the two fingers between her folds rubbed against her in time with the movement.  Felicity’s hands came up to pull at her own nipples and she felt Oliver’s chest rumble in response to seeing her play with her own breasts.

“Don’t stop,” he whispered and Felicity complied, her eyes slipping close as he moved in and out of her, with slow, measured strokes.  Oliver’s fingers moved in time with their pace and Felicity felt the familiar tightening of her body as she drew quickly closer to orgasm.  She chased the wave, surrendering to the feeling and as her body fell apart again, she felt Oliver join her over the edge.

“Hours and hours?” Felicity murmured when she could speak as Oliver pressed a hand against her belly to draw her back more firmly against him.

“I’m just getting started,” he said and Felicity sighed in anticipation but the niggling, practical side of her kicked in and while she wanted to quash that side of her down, it just wasn’t in her nature.

“I do have to work tomorrow,” she reminded him drowsily, her fingers entwined with his on her belly.

“No,” he disagreed.  “You aren’t getting out of this bed tomorrow.  I have plans for you.”

“I’ll have to pee eventually,” she replied without thinking and then her eyes snapped open.  Oliver laughed.

“Fine. You can pee, eat, and even shower.  Although you won’t be showering alone,” he allowed and Felicity’s body tingled at the idea of showering with Oliver.

“I’ll need to call work.  Tell my boss,” Felicity said, trying to stay practical in the midst of the sensual world that Oliver was creating for them. 

“Tell him you’re sleeping with his boss.  I’m sure you’ll get the day off.”

Felicity giggled and Oliver smiled at the sound.  His cock jerked as Felicity’s body shook in laughter against him and he was not at all surprised that he was nowhere near spent.  He would never get enough of her.  He would never get enough of the sound of her voice, her laughter, the touch of her fingers against his skin, the look in her eyes when she smiled at him, or the way her body responded so sweetly to his every touch.  Oliver wondered at the way fate brought her to him.  Suddenly, he was curious to know something.

“Felicity?”

“Hmmmm…..” she murmured almost asleep, gladly surrendering to Oliver’s plan.

“Why did you move to Starling City?  Why would you take a job so far below your skill level?”

Felicity stirred at the question, wondering what brought it on.  She shrugged, somewhat embarrassed to tell him.

“Tell me,” he cajoled giving her a squeeze and she sighed.

“A boyfriend,” she confessed, “that promptly broke up with me a few days after I moved.”

“Asshole,” Oliver said as he began kissing her neck.  “Good riddance.  Otherwise, I’d have to put an arrow in him to steal you away.”

Felicity smiled as her eyes slipped close at the sensations he was wreaking inside her with the touch of his lips and tongue against her skin.  She shivered, her body coming back to life as his touch rekindled the desire she felt for him.  Oliver released her hand, gliding his hand down between her legs, one finger testing her wetness.  Felicity quick indrawn breath told him she was ready and he rolled her onto her back, pressing deep inside her until he could go no further.   He braced his arms on either side of her head, and her hands came up to clasp his forearms.  He pulled almost all the way out and pushed back inside, staring into her eyes as he did so.  She didn’t look away, raising her knees up and out to draw him in deeper.  He began moving, pressing harder each time he pushed back in.  Felicity’s hips rose off the bed, cradling him with every move he made.  Her mouth opened, her lips forming a perfect O as he began driving inside her faster.  His eyes refused to release her, and Felicity kept her focus on him, letting her love shine.  His own love spoke back to her, a bright flame within him.  They were staring at each other as they climaxed, their breath mingling as they grew still.  _Peace,_ Oliver thought as he lowered himself on her, rolling to his side so that they were facing each other.  _Peace_ , he thought again as they both slipped into sleep, the sound of the rain steady to the beat of their hearts.

 

* * *

 

Oliver was true to his word.  Their phones rang, one after the other at around ten the next morning, but Oliver ignored them, putting hers out of reach.  His buzzed again seconds after he silenced it and Felicity muttered incoherently at the sound, surrendering back to sleep when she heard Oliver answer his phone.  Her eyes lids lifted slowly as the bed dipped when Oliver sat up.  Rolling over, to face him, she dosed as he spoke to whomever it was that called.  She felt his hand on her shoulder, his palm caressing her arm. 

“She’s fine. I’m fine. No, we are not coming to work and no, we won’t be at the lair today or tonight,” Oliver said.  After a moment of listening, Oliver laughed. "That would fall under the none of your business category."

Diggle, Felicity thought drowsily and she drifted back to sleep, faintly aware of Oliver’s voice as spoke to Diggle.  When she next woke it was to the smell of coffee, the space beside her was empty but sounds from the living room reassured her.  Rain continued to fall outside her bedroom window, the day dark and overcast.  Wind blew the rain against the window in waves, the sound of water hitting the glass much like the sound of waves crashing on the shore.  Looking at the clock, Felicity saw it was close to noon.  She smiled lazily, stretching before sitting up in bed.  Her body was deliciously sore and her cheeks flushed as her mind drifted back to the night before.  Looking around, Felicity saw one of her large shirts she used to sleep in draped across the chair in the corner of her room.  Sliding out of bed, she pulled it on and then grabbed the long sweater she wore as a robe.  She stopped in the bathroom before heading out to the living room.

He was leaning against her kitchen counter, shirtless and in a pair of sweats she didn’t recognize.  He was staring out the kitchen window, watching the rain as he sipped from a cup of coffee.  Felicity paused a moment, watching the emotions play over his face.  There was a lazy contentment to his face that she’d never seen before, and she flushed again knowing she was responsible for that look.  Beneath that, though, there was worry and a deep sadness.  That too, was in part, because of her.

She moved forward and his head immediately turned toward her, the worry and sadness nearly gone and replace with joy.  He smiled, his gaze sweeping over her and at her shy smile, he held an arm out.  Felicity went willingly, tilting her head back as he buried his fingers in the silk of her hair.  She met his mouth with hers, opening to his, tasting the coffee on his tongue, as well as the heat of his desire. 

“Good morning,” he said when they parted and she smiled in response.  Nerves and shyness gone, Felicity moved to pour herself a cup of coffee.  She added milk and a healthy dose of sugar, and then groaned in pleasure at the first sip.  She leaned against the counter across from him, and eyed his sweats, her gaze lingering on the bulge in front.  She grinned as it grew more pronounced, raising her eyes to his.  She tilted her head to the side as she studied him, wondering how long before she found herself on the kitchen floor.

“Nice pants,” she said, her smile widening as his erection pointed straight at her.  He shot her a look as he took another sip, making no move towards her.  Felicity raised an eyebrow at the challenge.  She toasted him with her cup and he tossed her a wicked grin as he raised his cup in response.

“Diggle stopped by.  Brought me some clothes,” he remarked, his eyes darkening as she let her cardigan fall open to the long, v-neck shirt she wore beneath.  It skimmed the top of her thighs, barely covering anything.  He shifted against the counter, and his sweats rode dangerously low.  Felicity licked her lips.  Oliver bit back a groan.

“That was nice,” she replied casually, raising one arm up as if stretching the sleep from her body.  It raised the hem of her shirt just enough so that he could see she wasn’t wearing anything beneath her shirt.  She lowered her arm, cupping her coffee between both hands, eyeing him over the rim as she sipped.  Oliver’s eyes were glued to the hem of her shirt and the fingers of his left hand twitched.  Still, he didn’t move.  Felicity planted her feet.  She would not give in first.

“He was worried,” Oliver gritted out, determined not to give in first.  He could not take his eyes from the hem of her shirt.  Knowing she was naked underneath was seriously testing his self-control.

“You set him at ease?” Felicity asked, running one finger along the hem that Oliver was eyeing so steadily.  She watched as he swallowed hard, his eyes now following the movement of her finger.  He nodded.  He took another drink of his coffee, crossing his feet at the ankles, trying to ignore the way his cock twitched in her direction.  The smile on her face told him she knew exactly the affect she was having on him.

“So,” she drawled, setting her coffee down on the counter beside her.  “You said you had plans for me today?”

Her one hand lifted the hem of the shirt a tad higher, as her other hand disappeared beneath the hem.  Oliver swallowed hard and then threw up the white flag.

“Shit,” Oliver said and he pushed off the counter, bringing Felicity to the floor of the kitchen, and pushing inside her in the blink of an eye.  She gave a husky laugh as she wrapped her legs around his waist, letting him ride her into oblivion.

* * *

They sat on the couch on opposite ends, legs tangled, nursing their second cup of coffee, Felicity’s body still quivering from aftershocks.  She sighed in contentment, her eyes wandering over Oliver’s chest.  When she looked up at him, his was staring out the patio doors, his eyes slightly unfocused.  Felicity knew his mind was elsewhere, and she wondered what he was thinking.  Or remembering.  She leaned her head back against the cushion of the couch, letting the silence envelope them, a warm comforting silence that was almost protective, guarding them from the outside world that would threaten to destroy the peace they found in each other.  Felicity knew that for today, the outside world didn’t exist and that tomorrow, they would return to reality.  Right now, though, she could pretend.  She could pretend no one was hunting her, trying to kill her.  She could pretend she, Oliver and Diggle were not on the hunt for a diabolical group of people intent on harming the city, as well as kill her.  Right now, she could pretend that Moira Queen was not involved or for that matter, existed.  A buzzing sound caught her attention and she saw Oliver’s phone on the coffee table light up with Moira’s picture.  _Okay, well maybe I can’t pretend she doesn’t exist,_ Felicity thought wryly.  The phone fell silent and Felicity looked up at Oliver.  He was staring at the phone.

“How many times has she called?”

“Off and on all morning,” he said his voice flat.  She rubbed her legs against him he captured one of her bare feet in his hand, rubbing the arch with his thumb.

“Have you spoken to her at all?”

“I have nothing to say to her.”

“Oliver,” Felicity sighed and he returned his gaze back out to the rain.  She looked out to the patio as well, watching as the wind blew the rain in gusts around her small backyard.  She felt Oliver’s eyes on her, a puzzled expression on his face.  She gave him a questioning look.

“I don’t understand, Felicity.  She was involved in your kidnapping.  She likely helped them with their attempts to kill you after you were freed; yet, you sit there calmly, and seem disappointed that I won’t speak to her.”

“She’s your mother, Oliver.  No matter her actions, she remains your mother.  How I feel, or for that matter, how much I would love to use these new moves you and Diggle taught me on her,” and at those words, a smile tugged at Oliver’s lips, “isn’t important.  Not right now.  You need to talk to her and while nothing will be alright between the two of you right now or ever, you need to remember that she is a resource.  She has information.  Information she may share with you that she may not share with the Green Arrow.  Information she would share only with her son.”

“How you feel is important,” he protested and Felicity shook her head.

“That’s not what I mean. Yes, it is but not right now.  Part of the reason why I want you to speak to her is selfish.  I want you to use her, get information.  But I also know you, and you won’t be satisfied until you do talk to her.”

Oliver considered the truth of Felicity’s words.  She was right.  Part of the disquiet he felt every time Moira called was because he _wasn’t_ talking to her.  Felicity was also right that his mother was a resource but the idea of hearing any sort of explanation which would likely included all manner of excuses, made his anger towards her rekindle.  

“I can’t, Felicity.  Not right now.  I’m still so angry.  She hurt you.  You! I can’t see beyond that right now.”

“I know,” Felicity said with feeling and they shared a look of understanding.

"Can we table this discussion?  I know we need to have it, but not today.  Today is for us,” he said with feeling and Felicity quickly nodded in agreement, wanting to protect their space for as long as possible.  Setting her coffee aside, she crawled over the couch to lie between Oliver’s legs, her cheek resting on his chest.  He pulled the blanked over them and folded his arms tightly around her.  Felicity sighed, eyes closing in contentment and Oliver kissed the top of her head, his hand rubbing her back.

“Tell me,” she asked softly, “will it always be like this?”

Felicity looked up at him and his eyes smiled down at her.

“Always,” Oliver replied and brought his mouth to hers for a sweet kiss. Their lips fused together, tongues rubbing against each other as passion once again heated between them.  He pulled back, the sensual and frankly sexual desire flaring in his eyes causing Felicity’s breath to catch.  He stood up, bringing her with him.  She looked at him curiously and the smile he gave her was filled with such heat, her body turned to jelly. 

“Shower time,” he whispered in her ear and Felicity smiled in anticipation.

* * *

Felicity gasped, her body shaking as the warm water of the shower sprayed against her back.  Oliver’s hold on her gentled as he withdrew, and she slid to the floor, legs limp.  His breathing was harsh as he rested his head on hers, emotion pushing at him.  He gently washed her, using soapy hands to massage her back and shoulders, as well as her legs.  Felicity rinsed and he moved under the spray as she stepped out of the shower.  She wrapped a large towel around her, handing Oliver another one from the small linen closet.  He dried off, wrapping it around his waist.  Pulling her closer, he began drying her as Felicity drowsily stood there, letting him rub the towel over her.  She opened her eyes, to find him smiling down at her.

“Food,” she said suddenly and Oliver laughed.  Felicity pulled on a clean t-shirt and pulled back on her sweater, not bothering with underclothes.  The look in Oliver’s eyes had her flushing with heat.   The spot between her legs tingled, catching her by surprise.  Oliver replaced his sweat pants, patting Felicity on the ass as he passed by her.  She swatted at his hand and he laughed again, moving past her to head to the kitchen.  She followed him, hoisting herself up onto the kitchen counter, draining the glass of water he handed her.

“I hope you cook,” Felicity said hopefully as Oliver opened the fridge.  He stared at the contents and then back at her in disbelief.

“I take it you don’t,” he said wryly, pulling out a carton of eggs and some cheese.  He found a tomato just about to turn and a small bag of fresh spinach that was just on the edge.   Felicity watched in fascination as he chopped, whipped, and stirred, moving around her kitchen with ease.  In less than fifteen minutes, he passed her a plate with an omelet oozing cheese, spinach and tomatoes.  Felicity took a bite and closed her eyes.

“Mmmmm…..this is amazing,” she said and dug her fork in.  Oliver slipped another omelet onto his plate and joined her on the kitchen counter.  They ate in companionable silence, sharing a glass of water between them.

“Where did you learn to cook?” Felicity asked as she scraped her fork across her plate, getting the last bits of cheese and tomatoes that clung to the surface.

“Part of surviving,” Oliver said and Felicity looked at him in surprise.

“The island?”

“Partly.  I learned to cook wild game.  Well, once I learned to hunt, then I learned to cook,” he amended.  “Then, when I was in Hong Kong, I spent a lot of time wandering the markets. I watched.  I learned.”

“Hong Kong?”

“And Russia,” he added quietly, waiting for her reaction.

“Russia?” Felicity repeated and he nodded. 

“How long were you in Russia?”

“Awhile,” was all he said and Felicity nodded.  She hopped down from the counter, placing her plate in the sink.  When she turned, it was to find Oliver staring at her, a hesitant expression on his face. He opened his mouth and then closed it.  Felicity waited patiently, keeping her expression soft, letting him see her love. 

“I didn’t just kill wild game,” he said quietly, placing his plate on the counter next to him, apprehension in his voice.  Felicity went to him immediately, placing her hands on his thighs. Her gaze was intent, filled with love and no judgment.  It wasn't anything she hadn't suspected.  It did not surprise that the lives he took as the Green Arrow were not his first.  It had to start somewhere, from some need.

“You survived.  You did what you needed to do to survive,” she said fiercely.  “Your past is just that, the past.  It’s a part of you but it’s not who you are.” 

Oliver stared down at her for a moment before pulling her to him in a crushing embrace.  His breath was hot against her ear as he held her tightly.

“I don’t deserve you,” he said, “but too bad, because I am never letting you go.” 

Felicity said nothing, just held on to him as tightly as he held on to her. 

“I love you,” he whispered against her ear, and Felicity closed her eyes.

* * *

“Seven?  Really?”

Felicity laughed, somewhat embarrassed.  While most girls were playing with dolls or running around outside, chasing stray cats, or boys, Felicity spent her days indoors, messing with the electronics of the house.

“We needed a computer,” was all she said and Oliver gave her a look of fascination.

“Yeah, but most people just go out and buy one,” he pointed out and Felicity rolled her eyes at him.

“Not all of us grew up so privileged, Mr. Queen.”

Oliver flushed and Felicity laughed, her cheek rubbing against his chest.  They were lying on the couch again, partially clothed after she had surprised Oliver with her mouth, licking and sucking at him until he came.  She sighed at the memory, already wanting the taste of him in her mouth again.

“What did your mom say when she found her hairdryer and curling iron in pieces?” Oliver asked and Felicity couldn’t help the smile that broke across her face.

“Nothing, bless her heart.  She called over every neighbor that was home to show them what her little Princess built,” she replied, a hollow ache in her heart as she remembered her lovely and vivacious mother.

“You must miss her very much,” Oliver said quietly, sensing the sadness lingering in her memory and she nodded.  They cuddled in silence, the soft drizzle of the rain the only sound in the room.

“My father,” Oliver began, “is always on my mind.  Especially these days.  He, um, he lived for several days after our ship went down.  We floated across the sea in a small raft, and we were, uh, running out of water.”

Felicity rubbed her hand up and down his arm, a soothing motion Oliver latched onto as he spoke of Robert.

“He wanted me to live.  To survive.  So he gave me the book, told me what it was, told me to learn to read it.  And then –” he took a breath, “and then he shot himself.  So that I could live.”

“Oh, Oliver.”  Felicity reached up, kissing him gently and in comfort. 

“He killed himself to save me.”

“He loved you.  He died to protect you.”

“He was a part of all this, Felicity.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t change the fact that he loved you and sacrificed himself so you could live.”

“We’re not talking about my father anymore, are we?”

Felicity didn’t say anything, knowing she made her point.  She shifted on him, her fingers stroking over his chest.  They both began to doze as late afternoon slowly crept towards them.  Oliver shifted beneath her and Felicity’s eyes reluctantly opened.  She saw that darkness engulfed the patio and realized they were close to being out of time.  The real world was steadily coming towards them. 

“I don’t want to sleep,” she whispered suddenly and pushed herself to a sitting position.  Oliver’s eyes blinked opened as she straddled his lap.  Oliver looked up at her sleepily as she lowered her head to his.  His mouth opened to hers, his hand sweeping up her back to close around the nape of her neck.  He tasted warm and dark, exotic chocolate melting in her mouth.  His desire flooded into her and she moaned against his mouth, rubbing herself against the hardness already pressing against her.  Oliver moved one hand between her legs and found her slick, already wet and ready for him.  She raised herself up slightly and he fingered her opening before sliding his finger inside of her.  She moved her hips against his hand, and he pulled out, adding a second.  She slanted her mouth over his, hands wandering across his shoulders and back as she rocked against his hand, his fingers pumping in and out of her. She moved faster, straining towards completion when suddenly he withdrew his fingers.  Before she could protest, Oliver lifted her up and draped her over the arm of the couch.  Oliver pressed up behind her, seeking her warm entrance and Felicity reached between her legs to guide him inside.  The tip slipped in and Oliver pressed on her clit with his finger at the same time.  Felicity bucked and Oliver buried himself in to the hilt.  

“God,” he breathed as she began driving back against him.  She panted, pressing his fingers with her own, seeking that friction she so desperately wanted.  He withdrew his hand, taking her fingers and putting them in his place.  She began to work herself frantically as he gripped her hips, driving into her over and over.  Her breast rubbed against the arm of the couch, the rough material against her nipples adding to her excitement.  But it wasn’t enough.  She needed more.

“Oliver,” she gasped, “please…..I need…..” 

She rubbed her fingers across her clit rapidly but she wanted Oliver’s fingers, the rough callouses against her sensitive flesh.  Understanding her need, Oliver reached around and took over, his other hand holding her hips.  He moved faster, grunting as Felicity cried out.  He pressed on her clit, rubbing it faster, harder.  Pressure built up in the base of his spine and Felicity’s walls clenched at him.  She began calling out his name, gasping, crying in pleasure.  Moaning loudly, Felicity bucked wildly, pressing her ass against him and Oliver came hard, shouting as she cried out her release. He fell across her back, breathing hard, the ferocity of his orgasm shaking him to his core.  Felicity gasped for breath, quivering beneath him, the walls of her vagina clutching tightly around him.  To his surprise, he felt himself hardening again.  Felicity shifted and he knew she felt it too. She moved against him, and he groaned in pleasure.  He pulled out of her and she turned to straddle him, lowering back on him, her eyes drifting shut as pleasure began to engulf her again.  She rode him lazily, head thrown back, hands resting on his shoulders.  Oliver watched her as she pleasured both of them, a second orgasm sweeping over him, tipping her over the edge.

* * *

They lay in bed facing each other but not touching.  Their eyes explored each other’s faces, meeting and holding as the night and day’s events played over in both their minds.  A single tear escaped from Felicity’s eyes and Oliver caught it with his finger.  Neither said a word, holding the silence between them tenderly.  Love swept around them, the threads delicate yet strong.  Oliver shifted to pull her beneath him, her body welcoming him as they slowly loved.  They slept deeply entwined in each other’s arms, neither moving the rest of the night.  When they woke, they stole kisses as they prepared for the work day; Diggle having dropped off another change of clothes for Oliver sometime during the night.  There were smiles, and laughter.  Long touches and one diversion that left Felicity humming with pleasure as Oliver licked and nipped at her until she came.  She returned the favor and Oliver was certain the mental image of her on her knees in the shower would stay with him throughout the work day.   It was going to be a very long day.

“Diggle should be here,” Oliver commented as he pulled on his coat.  Thea's car had been driven back to Queen Manor sometime yesterday before she blew a gasket.  Felicity nodded, fastening her earring and placing one hand on his shoulder, she slipped on her heels.  He helped her with her coat and when she turned, he used the fabric to pull her close for another heated kiss.

“Tonight?” he breathed against her, waiting for permission, the slightest hesitation in his voice.  Felicity reached up and touched his jaw with her fingertips.

“Every night,” she whispered, her tongue sweeping across his lips and they both surrendered to one more kiss before Oliver opened the door.  Felicity stepped out and then froze, causing Oliver to stumble.  He looked at her in confusion but the look on her face had his instincts roaring to life and he spun around, looking for the danger.  It stood on the sidewalk, in front of a long black car.  His face hardened and he took a protective step in front of Felicity.

“Good morning, Mom.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver learns more about what happened the night the Gambit sank.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the encouraging comments after my last chapter. I was super nervous (kinda embarrassed!) to post that chapter but you all made it so much easier to get past those nerves! So thank you!
> 
> Hope you enjoy a little more insight into Moira.

* * *

* * *

It was a moment that called for thunder and lightning. Instead, the sun shone brilliantly, bathing the three in a golden glow. The only sign of the storm that swept through the City yesterday was the odd puddle here and there and the sound of water dripping from the eaves of Felicity’s home. Despite the bright sun, a chill remained in the air, reminding Starling City that winter was not yet over. Moira looked up at Oliver, searching for signs of warmth, of any sign of softening towards her but there was nothing kind in the way that Oliver looked at Moira. She resisted the urge to shiver at the murderous look in Oliver’s eyes. Never before had her son, _her child_ , looked upon her with such hate. She didn’t recognize this man in front of her. Gone was the amused fondness that usually shown in his eyes, or the smile that he always had for her. Instead, a stranger looked back at her with a chilling gaze that threatened to destroy her composure. Despite their differences over the years, not once had Oliver ever looked at her with such contempt, such _hatred_. Moira was depending on his love for her, for family, to try to make him understand, to forgive. Only this man in front of her, seething with suppressed violence, wasn’t _that_ Oliver. This was a stranger. 

Suddenly grateful for the added protection of the dark lenses of her sunglasses, Moira shifted her gaze to Felicity. She was no longer hidden behind Oliver; instead, Felicity moved so she stood beside Oliver. They didn’t touch, or even look at each other, yet they were very obviously united where they stood. There was an almost palpable current between them, that _something_ that was always there between them, but now there was something else. Something secretive, something only shared between lovers.  There was a tether of strength between them, running both ways as each of them gave and took. Felicity did not have sunglasses on and she met Moira’s gaze straight on. There was no fear, but Felicity’s eyes burned with a very clear message. He eyes blazed with a cold fire of determination that somehow, someway, Felicity would make sure Moira paid. Again, Moira felt that tug of admiration pull at her. Most people would cower at the sight of someone responsible for what Felicity suffered. Yet, there she stood, strong and without reservation, condemning Moira in the straight line of her body and a hard, steady stare. The fierce flame in Felicity’s eyes seemed to penetrate the safety of Moira’s sunglasses, as if she could see past the dark lenses and into Moira’s very mind. Discomfited by Felicity’s stare, Moira quickly looked away and refocused on Oliver. She caught a flash of pain in his eyes but it was enough. There was the chink in his armor for her to dig her fingers into, to grasp and pull until he listened and forgave. She would make him listen, understand and he would forgive her. _He has to forgive me,_ Moira thought desperately, _I’m his mother._

“Oliver, we need to talk. Will you ride with me, please?” Moira asked in a gentle but firm voice. It was the voice she used with him often over the years. The voice she used to tell her son that this was his mother speaking and he was to listen. It was the voice she used that they will discuss whatever it was she wanted to discuss right at that moment. He _always_ listened to this voice; even when he was angry with her. She waited expectantly for him to join her, but to her utter shock, Oliver cut her off immediately with a sharp movement of his hand.

“Stop. There is nothing you can say to me right now that I want to hear.”

Moira swallowed hard, completely surprised. She never expected that Oliver would dismiss her so completely. She chalked up her unanswered phone calls and messages from yesterday to Oliver needing time to cool off. She expected once he calmed down, thought about what he learned, he would listen to her explanations. She had not expected him to shut her down so quickly. Finding herself in unfamiliar territory, Moira scrambled to find some footing.

“Oliver, please. I need to speak with you. Please,” Moira pleaded, unable to keep the slight note of panic from her voice.

Oliver’s expression never changed and panic clutched at Moira’s throat. She removed her sunglasses, and took a step toward Oliver and Felicity. Oliver immediately moved to once again stand in front of Felicity. Moira stopped, and it dawned on her that she didn’t know what to do. She was completely lost. She and Oliver had always been able to talk, _always._ No matter the situation, no matter how much trouble he was in, they were always able to talk, to plan a solution.

“Oliver,” she tried again but found she couldn’t find the words to make him listen. She took another step but the look Oliver gave Moira had her freezing in place. Oliver’s eyes were flat, and that look was back in his eyes. That look she saw nearly every day for the first year after he returned from the island; that look that was in his eyes when she startled him from a nightmare and he attacked her before shaking the last of his nightmare from his head. Moira caught a small movement from the corner of her eye and she saw that Felicity’s hand was now resting on Oliver’s arm. At first, Moira thought she was going to appeal to Oliver on her behalf, but she saw how Felicity’s hand clenched tightly around Oliver’s forearm and Moira’s heart-stopped. Felicity was holding him back. The depth of Oliver’s anger added another layer of panic that Moira was unable to crawl out from under. At that moment, another vehicle pulled up behind Moira’s car. Turning, she saw it was Mr. Diggle, obviously here to drive Oliver and Felicity to the office. She took this moment to recover her composure and attempt to approach this from a different direction.

Diggle eyed the tense standoff in front of him, noting Felicity’s posture and the rigid line of Oliver’s stance. He sighed but was not surprised. His own anger was deep but Oliver was unlike Diggle when it came to anger. Discovering Moira’s involvement with the Cadre was going to eat away at Oliver and undoubtedly make him question everything he thought he knew about his family. Right now though, a show down in the middle of Felicity’s neighborhood was not the place for any type of conversation between Oliver and Moira to take place. Still, Diggle could see that Moira was relieved at his arrival. So, he took his time stepping out of the vehicle and strolled up to the group, pausing briefly to squint up at the sun before slipping on his sunglasses. He positioned himself at the bottom of the stairs, directly below Felicity.

“Good morning Mr. Queen, Ms. Smoak,” he said before turning to Moira. “Mrs. Queen.”

“Good morning, Mr. Diggle,” Moira answered falling back on good manners. “I expect you’re here to drive Oliver to the office. I was hoping he would ride with me. There are few business matters we need to discuss.”

“Like I said, I have nothing to say to you right now,” Oliver said before Diggle could reply. He took Felicity’s hand in his and headed down the stairs, but she didn’t move. He turned back to her, the questioning look on his face fading as he met Felicity’s gaze. He went back up the stairs and drew her closer back against her front door. Diggle casually shifted in front of them, somewhat blocking Moira’s view. She took a few steps back, not sure what was happening. 

“Oliver,” Felicity said softly so that only he would hear. “You need to speak with her. Don’t put off the inevitable. Speak with her. Listen to what she has to say." 

Oliver sighed, his hand reaching out to take hers, pulling her closer to him while lifting her hand to his mouth. He pressed a kiss against her knuckles, her skin cold against his lips.

“Your gloves,” he said.

“My pocket.”

He nodded and kissed her hand again. He lowered their joined hands but held onto her as he captured her other hand. They stood with their hands linked, awash in sunlight and for a moment, Oliver could pretend his mother wasn’t anywhere near them. He sighed, looking over Felicity’s head at the sky, so clear and blue. Yesterday’s storm was a distant memory but their time alone hovered at the surface. He could still feel Felicity’s breath against his skin, the touch of her fingers across his back and he wanted nothing more than to drag Felicity back inside. He sighed again.

“It’s not the time,” he finally said and Felicity nodded in understanding. She waited until he looked at her directly, and then held his gaze with her own. _I love you,_ she said, her eyes glowing.

“It will never be the time,” she pointed out and it was Oliver’s turn to nod. He leaned down and she met him halfway in a soft kiss of comfort. They pressed their foreheads together and leaned into each other, ignoring Moira’s presence completely. They wrapped themselves in a protective shield, holding on to a few more precious seconds of peace before they let the storm back in.

“How can you be so generous to her?”

Felicity gave a rueful laugh. “I’m not. I’m not being completely selfless here. Yes, I want you to talk to her for you. This will eat at you until you hear what she has to say but I’m selfish enough to push you into talking to her for me as well. I want….no, that’s not right….I _need_ to know what she knows.”

Oliver pulled her into his arms and he looked down the stoop towards his mother. She was watching them, her hands clenched tightly together. He didn’t see the woman who burned microwave popcorn on movie nights or who sat by his hospital bed when he first came home from the island. He didn’t see the woman who held him as he cried after they brought Tommy to the Manor that night or the mother who kissed him good morning every morning since he came home. Instead, he saw the room where he found Felicity. He saw the wounds slowly fading on Felicity’s back and arms. He saw privilege and violence, a warped perversion of everything she and his father claimed their family stood for. Oliver gave Felicity one more gentle kiss before turning to his mother.

“You have the ride to QC. That’s it.”

Oliver looked over at Diggle who nodded. He would take care of Felicity until Oliver returned. Felicity rolled her eyes, privately thinking that she needed to have a conversation with both men about her ability to take care of herself. She squeezed Oliver’s hands one more time before letting go. She headed down the stairs to follow Diggle to the car. As she walked past Moira, Felicity was surprised when the other woman reached a hand out to stop her. She stared at the hand on her sleeve for what felt like an eternity before raising her eyes to meet Moira’s gaze.

“Miss Smoak,” Moira began but she was never given the chance to finish. Oliver was already flying down the stairs to firmly remove his mother’s hand from Felicity’s arm. Felicity shot him a look and he backed up. Turning back to Moira, Felicity gave her hard stare.

“You,” Felicity said very carefully, “don’t speak to me. Ever.”

After waiting a beat, making sure her message was received, Felicity walked away. Oliver followed and pulled open the passenger side door.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t want this, not today.”

“It’s okay. We had yesterday,” Felicity replied softly, smiling up at Oliver. He smiled back and took this extra moment to pull her back into his arms. “We have tonight, too.”

“And every night after,” he replied. They were smiling as they kissed.

Oliver watched Diggle drive away before returning to his mother, the smile he so recently had on his face fading as he stared down at Moira.   Without speaking, he slid into the car. Moira smothered a sigh of relief before sliding in after him.

“I suggest you start talking. The ride to QC isn’t that long.”

“We aren’t going to QC. At least, not the main office.”

“There’s a surprise,” Oliver muttered sarcastically. Moira nodded at the driver who was waiting for her order and he pulled away from the curb, turning right at the corner, heading away from downtown Starling City. They didn’t speak as the driver maneuvered his way through the city before crossing over the bridge and into the Glades. As the driver took a route that led to the warehouse district, Oliver turned to his mother, one brow raised in question.

“Start talking,” he ordered and Moira jumped at the edge on his voice.

“After you and your father disappeared at sea, the Chinese government spent about a week searching for any sign of the Gambit or you and your father. The search was scaled back after those first few days, and then scaled back again. No one seemed interested in pursuing it any further. Except me. I spent weeks and weeks on the phone with every foreign government near your last known location. I bribed where I could, I cajoled and threatened elsewhere. In the end, I hired a private company to search for you.”

The driver turned down a small industrial lane that led to warehouses closest to the docks. Oliver could see the tall dormant smoke stacks of the Foundry from here. They were only a few short blocks from the lair. They passed building after building until they reached a small fenced in area with the QC log emblazoned on the gates. At the press of a button, the gates opened and the driver passed through, turning left.   A series of four warehouses stood in a row in front of him. Oliver wondered why his mother brought them to the Applied Sciences Division.

“A year or so later, I began to give up. There was no sign of you or Robert. Right when I was about to end the search, the company I hired found her. Found the Gambit.”

Oliver turned his head sharply to look at his mother. She met his gaze steadily, quickly finding her footing again as she covered ground she was intimately familiar with. This, this she could tell him. Make him understand. Make him see.

“I had her raised to the surface and then brought home. In secret,” Moira continued, “I could not let the Cadre know what I found. What I discovered. You see, there was still Thea to consider.”

Oliver felt his thoughts scatter at his mother’s words. She found the Gambit. A feeling of dread swept over Oliver. If his mother kept the Gambit a secret, then the Cadre was somehow involved with her going down. _But how? There was no way the Cadre could predict a storm._ Oliver began trying to sort it out how in his mind but before he could completely gather his thoughts, the driver pulled up to the fourth warehouse, stopping near a set of stairs leading up to the door. Oliver looked at the large building; large enough to hold the Queen’s Gambit. He swallowed several times, looking from his mother to the building and then back again. It suddenly hit him, another sucker punch to the gut that the cause of his “death,” the reason he spent five years in hell, was the same organization that was responsible for Felicity and God knew how many others.

“Were you involved?” he asked, dreading the answer.

“Oliver, no! Never! I brought the Gambit home because of my suspicions. I needed proof.  I needed to start gathering evidence, something I could use as leverage to get out.”

“Are you telling me,” Oliver said hoarsely, “are you telling me that the Gambit is in there?”

Moira’s nodded and before she could speak, Oliver was out of the car. She quickly followed and caught up to him at the door where he impatiently waited for her to enter the code into the keypad. He made a mental note of the make and model of the security system, noting it was different than the system utilized by QC. The door opened automatically, clicking as the lock released and the door opened outwards. Oliver stepped inside and froze.

Time seemed to still with every breath he took as he stared at the sight before him. It was a ghost ship, looming high above him, raised upon a dry dock. He stared at the familiar lines of the yacht, the past washing over him, in ceaseless waves. _His father’s laughter as they hit open water, his own laughter as he helped pilot the ship towards the Pacific._ Oliver took a hesitant step forward, afraid that any movement would cause the image before him to dissolve as it did when he woke from a nightmare. _The breeze off the water fluttered the papers his father was working as Oliver stood at the bow of the ship, prepared to dive in for a swim in the sea. His father looked up at him, smiling with pride before pushing the papers into a brief case and joining Oliver on his swim._ Oliver’s shoes echoed loudly in the eerie silence of the warehouse but Oliver only heard the sound of waves crashing over the bow thundering in his ears as he walked slowly towards the Gambit. When he was close enough to touch the hull, his hands curled into fists before he reached out a tentative hand. Half convinced his hand would pass through the phantasm before him, Oliver shivered as his hand made contact. His eyes slipped shut at the feel of the cold fiberglass of the Gambit against his palm. He dropped his head and took a shuddering breath as pain racked his body. 

_“Oliver! Get up here! You won’t see sunsets like this back home,” Robert yelled down from the aft decks. Oliver ran up to join his father, handing him a beer as he settled into the deck chair next to him. They stared in silence at the red setting sun, the wind off the sea tossing Oliver’s hair into his eyes._

_“You need a haircut,” Robert observed._

_“When I get back,” Oliver responded._

_“I have scissors,” Robert offered._

_“Not a chance,” Oliver grinned and Robert laughed, toasting him with his beer bottle._

_“Don’t fall asleep then,” Robert teased and Oliver pretended to shiver in fear._

Oliver squeezed his eyes shut as the image of a tranquil sea faded from his mind to be replaced with the nightmare he relived every single night. The storm that raged the night the ship sank swept through the warehouse. Thunder deafened him to anything else around him, and Oliver could see the lightening flashing behind his closed eyes. Raising his head, Oliver looked up at the ship and then slowly began walking, his hand skimming across the surface of yacht as he walked down the starboard side of the Gambit.

_Oliver woke to the ship shuddering as it was tossed on the stormy seas. He sat up, feeling the pitch of the ship. The storm was worsening. He looked at the clock and groaned. Only an hour of sleep. He considered pulling the covers overs his head and sleeping it out, but he thought of his father up in the pilot house with the Captain. No, he needed to help. Pulling on a shirt and pair of shorts, he shoved his feet into his boat shoes. He opened the door to his cabin when a loud booming sound rose above the storm and the Gambit pitched wildly, tossing Oliver out into the passageway and onto the floor. That wasn’t thunder, he thought dazedly. He shook his head as he raised himself up to his knees, trying to get his balance._

_Oliver pushed himself towards the ladder leading up to the decks only to run into his father coming down with a life jacket in his hand. Seeing Oliver, he grabbed him by the shirt, shoving the lifejacket over his head. Oliver took over securing the straps._

_“An engine blew, Oliver, do you understand? An engine blew and the Gambit is sinking. Do you understand?”_

_Oliver nodded numbly, trying to get his mind to work. Robert checked the straps of the life jacket, adjusting them here and there. When he was satisfied, Robert pulled Oliver up to the decks and towards the lifeboats. The First Mate was waiting, and as soon as he saw them, he began loosening the lines._

_“Get in the boat, Oliver. I have to get something from my cabin. Get in the boat,” Robert shouted above the storm._

_“Dad! Leave it, get in with me!”_

_Robert shoved Oliver into the boat, before disappearing back down to berthing. Oliver tried to get out of the boat but the First Mate shoved him back down._

_“Sir, I have orders. You stay put. If Mr. Queen doesn’t return in the next minute, I’m to leave him,” he shouted in Oliver’s ear._

_Oliver turned to the First Mate, dazed as the storm poured it’s fury all around him. Looking over the side of the lifeboat, he saw the roiling sea, waves reaching up and over the rail of the Gambit. Spray hit his face and stung. He wiped his head and his fingers came away sticky with blood. I must have hit my head, he thought as the First Mate’s words registered. Oliver shook his head._

_“No. New orders. We wait.”_

_“But, Sir…”_

_“WE WAIT!”_

_The yacht pitched sideways and the life boat swung out precariously over the sea. Oliver caught a glimpse of the sea, waves reaching up towards him, the tips white-capped with foam, swirling in circles before rising into a wave to crash over the Gambit. Oliver and the First Mate held on to the loosened ropes until the life boat swung back in the opposite direction as the Gambit resettled._

_“Sir!”_

_Oliver ignored him, his eyes glued to the hatch where his father disappeared._

_“Sir! I’m lowering us down now. The Gambit is sinking.”_

_Before Oliver could argue, Robert came out of the hatch. He shoved a knapsack into the life boat and then climbed aboard._

_“Go! Go! Go!” Robert shouted, and he and the First Mate lowered the boat into the raging sea._

Oliver reached the aft end of the Gambit and he slowly turned to find the propellers of the yacht staring down at him; rusted with disuse, lifeless. He touched the cold metal of one blade, before moving around to the port side of the yacht. His mind barely registered what he was seeing as once again he felt as if he had been sucker punched.

A large, gaping hole, revealing the rusted innards of the engine room, made up a good portion of the aft port side of the Gambit. Wires and threads of wood and fiberglass hung across the opening. He reached out a shaking hand, touching one of the jagged edges of the hole. He stared at the hole, frowning at the symmetry and location of it. The back of his neck began to tingle. He could see into the engine room. He moved forward, climbing up onto the scaffolding of the dry dock and was able to peer further inside. The Gambit’s engines sat untouched, the rusted black casings covered in so much dust, they appeared grey. Despite the dust, Oliver could see they were undamaged. It wasn’t the engines. The engines never blew. _The engines never blew_. A bomb. Someone planted a bomb on the ship. Oliver felt nausea churn in his stomach at facing what his mind already knew. The accident at sea was never an accident. It was murder. The Cadre murdered his father. The familiar feeling of rage came quickly and turning, Oliver jumped down from the scaffolding to find that Moira had trailed around the Gambit behind him. She took a step back at what she saw in his expression and Oliver was too far gone to care that he was frightening his mother.

“The Gambit didn’t sink because the engines exploded,” Oliver said very carefully and very quietly.  

“No….no….she didn’t,” Moira confirmed carefully. “Your father, he could pilot the Gambit through anything. _Anything_. For her to go down in a storm? Not possible with Robert in command. He weathered far worse on her. I suspected sabotage. According to the team of experts I assembled to examine the Gambit, a small bomb was carefully placed to make it appear that the engines were the cause of the explosion should she ever be found. Marks on the inside indicate that the bomb became dislodged, likely due to the ferocity of the storm.” 

“The Gambit was sabotaged,” Oliver repeated his voice controlled, the tight leash he held on his anger slipping slightly.

Moira nodded, waiting for the inevitable question.

“By whom?” Oliver asked although he already knew the answer. He needed to hear her say it. Needed to hear his mother say that the organization she was involved in was responsible for the murder of her own husband. He pressed his hands against his head, his thoughts scattering as everything he thought he knew about his family, his father, his mother, _everything_ unraveled before him.

“You know who,” she said evenly. “The Cadre.”

Oliver paced away from his mother, her words hammering at him like physical blows.  

“Dad was a member,” Oliver said, not really asking a question. His mind flashed back to the leather-bound book in his footlocker.

“Yes. We both were. I still am. I had to stay in. Don’t you see? I was trapped. I had Thea to protect and then when you came home, you. There was no way out.”

Moira took a step closer, lifting her hand to Oliver but once again, he stopped her with a single hand movement. He retreated further from her and Moira clenched her fists as she realized that whatever progress she thought she was making with Oliver was all in her own mind. The situation was well-beyond her control.

“You were responsible for taking Felicity?”

“Not directly but yes, I was involved.”

Oliver gave a harsh laugh trying to control an old anger that he thought long subdued.

“Not directly? What other way is there?”

“She was a mistake. A rash action done by another over whom I have zero control.”

“A mistake? The kidnapping and torture of an innocent woman was a mistake?” The leash on his anger slipped further at the cavalier dismissal of what Felicity, what Lyla, had gone through.

“Oliver, just listen,” Moira begged, reaching out to touch him again. He jerked back, past the point of being able to hear anything she said. He was right, it was too soon; too much, too soon. He stared at the Gambit, his stomach twisting with anger and nausea. She was supposed to be at the bottom of the sea and to see her up close, to see the hand that fate dealt him so shockingly up close, was destroying the normalcy he built for himself over the years.

“Who else is in the Cadre?” he abruptly asked, turning back to Moira, clenching his fists so tightly his knuckles ached at the ferocity. _Dial it back, tamp it down._

“No. I can’t tell you that. You don’t understand,” Moira refused, shaking her head emphatically. There was fear and panic written all over her face, but Oliver refused to be swayed.

“What don’t I understand?”

“There are secrets and deals made going into the Cadre. Promises and threats. You and Thea, your safety, your lives, are held over me and have been ever since Robert tried to get us out of the Cadre.”

“Dad was trying to get out?”

“Yes. The trip to China was for that specific purpose.  He said there was someone we could go to for help.  He would tell me who. But the others, they found out somehow. We didn’t know. The cover was that he was expanding the Cadre’s business dealings with a small pharmaceutical in China. But somehow, they knew. As a result, he died and you were lost.”

“What is the purpose of the Cadre?”

Again, Moira only shook her head, her expression pleading.

“Who are the Cadre?” Oliver asked again, his fingers twitching. The leash slipped even further and Oliver knew he was near the end of his control. The old anger threatened to explode as he stared at his mother, his face etched in stone.

“Oliver…please….”

“WHO. ARE. THE. MEMBERS. OF. THE. FUCKING. CADRE.”

Moira stared at Oliver as his shout echoed through the warehouse. She would not surrender to his anger. She couldn’t tell him. Not yet. It wasn’t safe.   Oliver was too unpredictable right now. What he might do with that information terrified her. His life, Thea’s life….all of it hung in the balance right now. She cursed the Green Arrow for showing up when Oliver was home, she cursed Robert for leaving her in this predicament and she cursed the Merlyns; Malcolm for killing her husband and destroying her son, Tommy for his continued hold over her. Moira took a deep breath, and focused on what was important. Her family.

“No,” she said, standing firm against Oliver’s anger. “You should never have known about the Cadre. But you do and there it is. I will not tell you anything more, not right now. Not when you’re like this. Don’t you understand? Your life is at risk. And if you won’t think of your own life, think of Thea’s. Better yet, think of Miss Smoak. Your Felicity. Her life remains in danger and the more information you have about the Cadre, the greater the risk to her life.”

“How? How is her life in any more danger because of my knowledge?”

“She is leverage, Oliver! Leverage!  Don't you see?   I do not doubt that she is already busy trying to connect me to other individuals and then link them to the Cadre. That busy mind of hers never rests,” Moira remarked bitterly. “As she makes those connections, she will tell the Green Arrow. The Cadre already knows she is working with him. It will only be a matter of time before they realize you know about them as well.  And they will use you against me, and her against you.  They always know, Oliver. _Always_.”

Oliver stared at her and his mind began connecting the odd conversations he overheard these last few years. He recalled the conversation he recently interrupted between Moira and Malcolm. He began making his own connections.

“Malcolm. He’s Cadre.”

Moira said nothing and attempted to remain expressionless but something in her eyes must have given her away. Oliver turned away, shoving a hand in his hair.

“I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, I know what he’s capable of doing to a child. He’s also responsible for Felicity.”

Still, Moira said nothing. Let him blame Malcolm for Felicity. Malcolm was tame compared to Tommy. Despite Tommy’s genuine affection for Oliver, he would not hesitate to eliminate a threat to the Cadre even if it was a man he considered more a brother then friend.

“Who else?” Oliver asked, speaking more to himself as he continued to try and connect lines to his mother’s social and business acquaintances.

“Oliver, you have to stop! Don’t do this! If the Cadre finds out you know, they will not hesitate to kill you or worse? Threaten you with Thea’s life. Or Ms. Smoak’s life. You have to pretend! Do you understand? You have to pretend!”

“Why the Green Arrow? Why his help?” Oliver asked abruptly and Moira scrambled to keep up with Oliver’s questions.

“He’s the only one who can stop them.”

“Stop them from what?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

Oliver turned away in frustration, wanting to punch something so hard. He had to get out of here. He turned back to Moira.

“I can’t do this with you. I can’t listen to your cryptic answers or rather, non-answers. I can’t watch your continued deception and continued protection of a group of people responsible for the kidnapping and torture of an innocent woman and a federal agent.”

Oliver spun on his heel and made his way to out of the warehouse. The stale smell of brine and salt water had his stomach heaving and he was certain he could smell the blood of the Captain as he passed the forward decks of the Gambit. He heard Moira hurrying after him but he didn’t turn.

“Oliver, please understand. Everything, _everything,_ I’ve done has been for you and Thea. Oliver! Please!”

He stopped short and turned back to his mother.   He strode up to her until he was mere inches from her.

“Do you think that make everything you’ve done okay? Because it doesn’t. It makes it worse. You decided my life is worth more than someone else’s. You decided someone else’s life was worth less than anyone else’s.”

“I will always put you and Thea before anyone.  Your lives will always be more valuable to me than anyone else, including my own and especially some nameless girl.”

“Her name is Felicity Smoak. And she is worth more to me than you ever will be again.” 

* * *

Oliver pushed himself to the limit, running through the city, his mind a jumbled mix of the past and present. After leaving his mother at the warehouse, he sent a quick text to Felicity to let her know he would not be in the office. He made sure she knew he was okay but that he needed time. He walked from the warehouse, ignoring his mother as she called after him, and disappeared into the Glades. Once he was sure his mother wasn’t attempting to follow him, he made his way to the Foundry and slipped into the lair to change. He hit the pavement and started running. That was nearly two hours ago. He circled through Starling City, winding his way through the streets of the Glades, crossing over to run through downtown and then back again. He kept hearing his mother and her excuses mixing with the sound of the storm and the awful, sucking sound the sea made as it swallowed the Gambit. The moment his father handed him the book played over and over again in his mind until the sound of his shoes hitting the pavement became the sound of the gun his father used on the lifeboat.

_“Oliver….wake up, son.”_

_Oliver stirred and struggled to open his eyes. His mouth was dry, lips cracked from the salt and sun. He tried to lick them but there was no saliva in his mouth. He blinked, trying to open his eyes but he was too tired. A dribble of water passed over his lips and his tongue lapped at it. He opened his mouth for more, and a lukewarm ribbon of water passed over his mouth. Clean water. They didn’t have much left. Not enough for three of them. Oliver opened his eyes. He met the worried eyes of his father._

_“Issss okay, Dad,” Oliver slurred. “Save the water.”_

_“Drink it, son. Drink it.”_

_Oliver turned his head away. He was dying and he knew it. He coughed, slumping deeper into the lifeboat._

_“He’s dying, Mr. Queen. Save the water,” the First Mate said dispassionately._

_Oliver’s eyes flew open as the sound of a gunshot blasted through the air. The First Mate swayed a moment before toppling back against the life boat, dead from a single gunshot to the head. Robert struggled, removing the pack the First Mate held and then the life jacket. Robert then pushed the body out of the boat. Oliver looked at his father in horror._

_“Dad!”_

_“You will not die, Oliver. Do you hear me? You will not die!”_

_Robert rummaged through the pack the First Mate had guarded and found it was stocked with four more large bottles of water._

_“Son of a bitch,” Robert said, and he consolidated everything into one pack. He looked at Oliver. He looked at the last bottle of water that lay between them and then at the pack holding four more bottles. It was enough for one person to survive but not two, not with Oliver already so severely dehydrated. Reaching into the pack, he felt the outline of the book. He stared up at the sky. This was it; his moment of reckoning. The moment in which he would pay for all of his sins and he was certain the fires of hell were waiting for him with open arms. Robert thought of Moir, his partner, his wife. He did not fear for her. She would survive and she would protect Thea. Thea….his baby girl…..always his baby girl. He turned back to Oliver and knew he had to act now, before he lost what little courage he had._

_Grabbing Oliver by the shirt, he shoved the book against Oliver’s chest as Robert pulled him up to a sitting position._

_“Listen to me, Oliver. I’ve done things. Things I’m not proud of but things you can fix. Take this book. Take it, learn to read it, and right my wrongs.”_

_“Dad? What are you doing? What?” Oliver said, confused and terrified at the fierceness in his father’s expression._

_“Do not judge your mother too harshly. She loves you so much. She will do anything and everything to protect you! Take care of your sister. You understand me? Take care of her!”_

_Robert grabbed his son in a bone-crushing hug and pressed a kiss to his forehead._

_“I love you, Oliver. I love you! Never forget that. I’m so proud of you and I know you will make me proud in the future. I love you, son!” Robert pulled him back into his arms for another hug and then he shoved him away, raising the gun to his temple._

_“Dad! Stop! No! We can both survive.”_

_“Live, Oliver. Survive. Find your way home and live!”_

_At those words, Robert looked up to the sky and pulled the trigger._

Oliver’s feet hit the pavement harder, faster as the screams of his past chased him. He could feel the terrified boy that he was nipping at his heels. He ran faster, wanting to escape the past but it kept pace with him, staying close to him. It trailed him as he wound his way back through the Glades and to the lair, his anger barely spent. When he walked in, it was to find Diggle waiting for him on the mats. Good. They didn’t speak as they sparred. Oliver didn’t hold back, and neither did Diggle. Disciplined, military training kept Diggle just on the edge from injury. He saw the anger and desperation on Oliver’s face. He recognized the feeling, had felt it many times himself when he came home from Afghanistan.

Oliver landed a barely pulled punch to Diggle’s side and Diggle whipped to the side, bringing Oliver’s arm up and back before pushing him away. They exchanged blows and kicks in rapid succession, faster and faster until Diggle saw his opening as anger took over Oliver’s ability to think clearly. Spinning away from the hit coming his way, Diggle’s foot connected with Oliver’s stomach and as Oliver bent forward at the impact, Diggle had him on the ground.

“Enough?” Diggle asked, pulling on the arm he held. Oliver yelled and bucked, but Diggle held firm until Oliver suddenly lay limply beneath the knee he pressed against Oliver’s back.

“Enough?” he repeated not loosening his hold as he waited for Oliver to decide whether they were done.

Oliver finally nodded and Diggle rose to his feet, dropping back several feet to give Oliver time. He picked up a towel and wiped his face and then turned to toss a bottle of water at Oliver as he rose to his feet. Diggle took a long swig from his own bottle, watching as Oliver stared at the bottle in his hand. There was a bleak expression on his friend’s face.

“Oliver?”

“My father and I weren’t alone in the lifeboat,” Oliver said without looking up from the water bottle. “The First Mate was with us….Gerry? Jeff? I can’t remember his name.”

“Did he die on the island?”

“He never made it to the island. Dad shot him.”

At Oliver’s words, Diggle slowly lowered the bottle of water he was about to drink. Oliver continued to stare at the one in his hand.

“We were nearly out of water. I was dying. I could feel it. The First Mate wouldn’t let Dad give me anymore water. Said to let me die, so my father….my father shot him. Turned out the First Mate was hiding water in his pack.”

“Oliver….”

“At the time, I was in too much shock, half-delirious from dehydration, and after my father shot himself I never thought about it again. But today, today I was brutally reminded that my family has this habit of thinking our lives are more important than anyone else. My mother….she has no conscience and the life of anyone else is worth less than her own or mine.”

“She’s your mother, Oliver. You will always be more important to her than anyone else. You and Thea,” Diggle replied.

Oliver suddenly threw the bottle across the room and it crashed against the side of one of the glass cases, spraying water across his arrows and Felicity’s computers.

“Who made her God?” he shouted. “Who is she to decide that Felicity’s life…or Lyla’s life…..is worth less than mine, than Thea’s?”

“The moment you were born, Oliver! Look, I’m not trying to justify her actions; I’m trying to explain her mindset. You are her child. Hers. And no parent will ever let anyone harm their child and they will do anything, _anything_ , to prevent anyone from harming their child no matter what it is. Any action is worth protecting your child. Anyone is worth sacrificing to protect your child.”

“Even the kidnapping and torture of innocents? Death? How can you say that? How can you defend her taking Felicity or Lyla?”

“I’m not defending her! I’m trying to make you see that it’s not black and white, Oliver! Since when is everything black and white to you? In all the years you’ve been doing this, since when have you seen our work only in terms of black and white?”

“I don’t choose who lives or dies! No one is more important than anyone else. She is choosing who lives or dies!”

“You could look at it that way, or you could see that she is trying to protect you!”

“By harming others, including your own wife!”

“You don’t think I know that? You don’t think I’m angry?” Diggle yelled back approaching Oliver. “I could hurt her for what she did to Lyla. What she did to Felicity. But that’s not our way. She will pay for what she did, but she will pay the way everyone else has paid. The city will know what she, and the other members of the Cadre did.”

“In the meantime, she gets a free pass because she was protecting me?”

“Don’t be an ass. You know that’s not what I meant. When it comes to your family, Moira will do anything to protect you and Thea. Wouldn’t you do the same?”

“I wouldn’t put innocent lives in danger.”

“What about non-innocent lives?”

Oliver stared at Diggle, not sure what to say. Seeing Oliver hesitate in his response, Diggle pressed on.

“You’ve dropped several bodies again since meeting Felicity. Do their lives matter less than hers?”

“They were trying to take her again! To kidnap and torture her or even kill her!”

“So because they were bad, it was okay for them to die?”

“I was protecting her!” Oliver yelled, breathing hard. As usual, Diggle’s words made sense and Oliver could feel his anger receding. He wanted to be angry, to hold onto that anger so that he would not feel that pain, the same pain he felt at the loss of his father. He could handle the anger, but the pain was something different. He turned away, bowing his head as his hands came up to clasp the top of his head. His mother’s voice pleading with him to understand sounded in his ears along with Diggle’s voice of reason.

“It’s not the same thing,” he finally said, not quite willing to concede the point.

“No, but its close,” Diggle agreed. “You can’t tell me that if you were given a gun and told to shoot a random person to save Thea, that you wouldn’t do it.”

“I would find another way!”

“Yes, you would because it’s what we do. But if push came to shove and someone was about to take Thea’s life, you can’t tell me you wouldn’t pull the trigger.”

Oliver didn’t answer but he didn’t need to. Sighing, he walked over to grab another bottle of water. 

“I want to be angry,” he admitted. “The anger? That will help me do what I know needs to be done. If I’m not angry, I don’t know that I can go after her. Bring her down.”

Diggle shook his head, resting his hand on Oliver’s shoulder.

“You’re not alone, Oliver. You haven’t been since you brought me over. More so since you let Felicity into your life. We are your family. Your team.”

Oliver nodded, recognizing the truth in Diggle’s words. He sighed and took a long drink of water. He thought about Diggle’s words. _No parent will ever let anyone harm their child and they will do anything, anything, to prevent anyone from harming their child no matter what it is._ He looked at Diggle. 

“What?” Diggle asked, catching Oliver’s contemplative stare.

“Nothing,” Oliver said and then changed his mind. “You seem to know an awful lot about what a parent would or wouldn’t do for their child.”

Diggle grinned, and took another pull from his water bottle. 

“Lyla’s pregnant,” he shared, smiling broadly.  Oliver caught him in a bear hug, slapping him on the back.

“Congratulations!”

“Thanks, man. Scared me to my toes and but the moment I felt that tiny bump….man. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to protect my child.”

Oliver nodded, not understanding the feeling but trusting Diggle. He didn’t want to understand his mother. He certainly didn’t want to forgive her. He could, however, begin to see her point of view. Oliver took another drink of water and then looked over to where he threw the other bottle. He saw water coursing down Felicity’s computers and winced. Diggle followed his line of sight and grinned.

“Felicity is going to be so pissed,” he said with relish and Oliver gave a short laugh. His mind immediately conjured an image of Felicity, hair falling in her face as she leaned over to kiss him. The gleam in her eyes whenever she looked at him never failed to shatter him. Faith. Trust. Love. Oliver suddenly needed to feel her against him, the soothing touch of her hand against his skin, calming the beast inside him that was pulling to be released. He stayed away from her today in an attempt to temper his anger. He never wanted her to be touched by that rage, that same rage that governed his every action when he first came home from the island. Oliver once thought of it as a poison, something that destroyed. With Diggle’s help, he redirected that rage into something more productive; a lethal weapon that he controlled, that he wielded with more discretion. It was a weapon that no longer controlled him until today. In one fell swoop, his control eroded until he feared he would harm his own mother. Without Diggle, Oliver wasn’t sure if he would have been able to reign himself back in.

Oliver looked up to find Diggle watching him steadily, a knowing expression in his eyes. 

“Go to her, Oliver.”

* * *

Felicity was half-asleep on the couch when the doorbell rang. Her tablet lay on the floor where it slid from her lap as she sat up. She pushed her hair out of her face and looked at the clock. Only eight o’clock. The doorbell rang again. _Oliver!_ She jumped up, and pulling her sweater around her, she rushed to the front door. Disengaging the alarm, she pulled open the door to find a very somber Oliver leaning against her door frame. He tried to smile at her but wasn’t able to pull it off.

They stared at each other for one heartbeat before they were in each other’s arms. Oliver crushed Felicity to him, lifting her up as her arms clung tightly around his neck. He buried his face in her neck as he walked across the threshold, shutting the door behind him. As he settled her back on her bare feet, he inhaled her scent deeply, the subtle alluring scent soothing him, settling his mind, centering him. He pulled back and cradling her face in the palms of his hand, Oliver captured her lips in a lingering kiss. They stood there, softly kissing, taking comfort in each other and the certainty of _them_ in a time where nothing else was certain. Oliver sighed after another kiss and pulled her back into his arms. Felicity rested her cheek against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

“That bad?” she murmured softly, rubbing her cheek against him.

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So am I.”

“Come on. I’ll let you fix me something to eat.”

Oliver laughed and reluctantly let Felicity go to remove his jacket. He was about to follow her into the kitchen when her doorbell rang again. He frowned just as Felicity poked her head around the corner.

“You expecting someone?” he asked quietly, not wanting to be heard by whoever was outside the door. Felicity shook her head. Oliver motioned for her to get back and moved over to the door, staying to the side. Felicity grabbed her tablet from the sofa, and accessed the porch camera hidden in the outside lights. A food delivery guy stood on the stoop, carrying bags from a popular Mexican dive in the Glades. She frowned, the man looking vaguely familiar but she was unable to get a good look at his face. He leaned forward and she was able to make out his features.

“Oliver,” she whispered, and showed him the tablet. He frowned as well. As the doorbell rang again, he studied the guy, noting how he kept his hands clearly visible and slightly out to his sides, the bag of food swinging from his right hand. Oliver switched off the foyer light and motioned Felicity to open the door but to keep the security chain on. Taking position behind her, Oliver retreated into the shadows of the entryway. Felicity opened the door, taking care to stay at an angle.

Enrique grinned at her as he took in her appearance and Felicity flushed as she realized she was wearing nothing but a thin camisole, leggings and a sweater that did nothing to hide the fact that she was wasn’t wearing a bra.

“La nina milagro…remember me?”

“Yes. How did you know where I live?”

Enrique gave a shrug and Felicity knew he wouldn’t tell her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked instead, eyeing the bags in his hand and the delicious aroma wafting towards her.

“Me? I brought you the dinner you ordered. Tamales, arroz con pollo, y …”

“I didn’t….”

“Si, senorita, you did,” Enrique interrupted, his brown gaze holding hers firmly. Awareness dawned and Felicity slowly nodded and felt Oliver nudge her back. She put her hand behind her and he placed a wad of cash in her hand.

“Thank you,” she said handing the cash to Enrique and taking the bag he offered.

“No problemo,” he grinned after counting the cash. “Oh, we took the liberty of adding the house special con salsa verde. I think you’ll like it.”

With a jaunty salute, Enrique turned and left, disappearing into the night. Felicity closed the door and looked at Oliver.

“How much did I just give him?”

“A lot. He took a risk coming here, finding you. He knows the Cadre may be watching you.”

Felicity nodded and led the way to the kitchen placing the bag on the counter. Digging in, she pulled out a to-go container that did indeed have tamales inside. The smell was mouth-watering and Felicity closed her eyes.

“So, there really is food…did you hear what he said about the enchiladas?” 

Oliver nodded and Felicity dug out another container. Inside were two enchiladas smothered in a salsa verde. On the lid was a message:

>   _Meet me at the corner of Waterside and 8th at midnight. I know what they are doing in the depot._

“Well, that is unexpected,” Felicity said and Oliver nodded in agreement.  Felicity sighed, looking mournfully at the delicious food. 

"Let me change so we can go," she said and headed towards her room.  Oliver called after her.  She turned to find him with a sheepish expression on his face.

"Um, there's something you need to know.....about your computers at the lair."

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team arrives to meet with Enrique but not all is right. Moira reveals a secret to Tommy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can only say I'm sorry. My life is not my own and little rugrats, husband, parents, oh, and a full-time job, tend to monopolize my time. I also struggled greatly with this chapter as I'm more excited about the three upcoming chapters. So instead of facing it straight on, I kept pushing it away. I'm terrible at time management and I let this one part of my life - a part that gives me so much joy - fall to the wayside and for that I'm sorry. 
> 
> Thank you for hanging in there and thank you for being patient. As a reader of multi-chapter fics, I know all to well how frustrating it can be when a fic you're enjoying isn't updated nearly enough. So again....I'm so sorry and thank you for reading!

* * *

Moira stormed inside the Merlyn Mansion without knocking and headed straight to the library. Her heels hit the marble floor with a staccato beat matching the pulsing fury swirling inside her. Moira clung to the anger, tamping down hard on the small flutter of panic that swirled in her stomach. Less than two hours ago, as she stepped out of her hotel in Central City, Moira found a car and two members of the Merlyns’ “army” waiting to escort her to the Merlyn Mansion.   That Malcom and Tommy would go so far as to send an escort worried her. They could not know she tipped off Felicity. It was so subtle, she wasn’t even sure Felicity realized what Moira was revealing. Until the moment the Green Arrow crashed into her living room, she wasn’t sure her hint had been enough. For the two hour ride back to Starling City, Moira went over every detail over the last two days but could not pinpoint where she may have erred. _I don’t make mistakes,_ Moira reminded herself as she approached the library doors. She paused to gather herself, pushing back the nervous worry and pulling her outrage around her like a shield. _You are a founding member of the Cadre. They killed your husband. Tried to kill your son. They want to hurt your family. You will not let them._ Moira threw open the library doors and marched straight up to Malcolm, shoving her finger in his chest.

“How dare you! I am not some errant employee that you _fetch_ ,” Moira hissed. Malcolm’s eyebrow quirked and he gave Moira a look of amusement. He didn’t reply, taking a drink instead as he eyed her over the rim of his glass.

“Then next time,” Tommy drawled from his seat over by the fireplace, “answer your damn phone. You failed to show to the emergency Cadre meeting this morning. In addition to an unexpected situation at the depot, discussion regarding your encounter with the Green Arrow was particularly necessary because you and you alone, drew the Green Arrow’s attention.”

“And was there room on _your_ agenda to discuss you wholly _stupid_ decision to release the drug into the Glades early and _without_ the group’s consensus?”

“A small test run,” Tommy dismissed with a negligent shrug of his shoulders, “and nowhere near as important as the Green Arrow’s interest in you.   He invaded your home, Moira, and as a member of the Cadre, your safety is important to us.”

“You’re concern is touching,” Moira snorted. “But let’s not pretend this has anything to do with me. This is about what he may know about us and what I may have said to him.”

“Of course it is. You are the only member of the Cadre he approached. He’s not known for his gentle touch. So what you may have said to him, out of fear, is particularly important,” Malcolm replied as he walked over to the bar and poured himself another drink.

“Fear? When have you ever know me to be afraid of anything? Or _anyone_?” Moira laughed. “And, yes, I am the only one. The only one that he somehow connected to the Cadre; the only one he discovered I was a member. It’s almost like he was led to me by a trail of bread crumbs.”

Moira’s unspoken accusation filled the air and Tommy slowly sat up, placing his glass on the small table in front of him. He fixed his gaze on Moira but before he could speak, Malcolm began laughing and gave Moira a pitying glance.

“Really, Moira, you’re becoming quite the conspiracy theorist in your maturing years.”

A wave of satisfaction flowed through Moira as she gave Malcolm a tight-lipped smile. Unknowingly, Malcom just helped Moira direct the conversation away from her visit with the Green Arrow.

“It would not be unlike the Cadre to begin damage control by attempting to redirect the Green Arrow’s attention from the group to a single individual in the hope that perhaps that individual would be….eliminated,” Moira paused a moment to allow her words to sink in. “After all, the Cadre hasn’t hesitated to eliminate members that threaten the mission. Or the family of Cadre members.”

Silence fell heavily across the room as two pairs of Merlyn eyes bored into Moira’s. There was warning in Malcom’s expression while Tommy frowned in confusion. He shifted his gaze to his father and then back to Moira. As she met Tommy’s gaze, she knew she succeeded in diverting his attention. As the newest member of the Cadre, and the unexpected leader, it would not sit well with him that he did not know all the secrets. He didn’t disappoint her.

“The Cadre has never eliminated members,” Tommy stated carefully. “And the loss of the Kingstons’ daughter was an unfortunate accident.”

Moira’s lips curled at Tommy’s characterization of the death of the Kingstons’ only child. She lifted her brow at Malcolm wondering if he would speak. He remained quiet and Moira couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her.

“Oh, Tommy, you poor boy. Do you really believe you were the first one to find a way to bring members of the Cadre into compliance?”

“Moira,” Malcolm warned but Moira ignored him, her focus on Tommy. She was taking a calculated risk in revealing one of Malcom’s secrets.   She needed to proceed very carefully here. Her heartbeat faster at what she was about to reveal to Tommy.   She let sarcasm and the every present anger at the loss of Robert and Oliver seep into her tone.

“Robert was killed by the Cadre. The sinking of the Queen’s Gambit was not an accident. It was intentional. Now the storm, that was an accident that pushed up the time table, causing the First Mate, who worked for your father, to unfortunately – or perhaps fortunately – die after setting off the explosion that would ultimately sink the ship. And my son? My Oliver? Acceptable loss. I’m surprised you don’t know about this. I naturally assumed that is where you received inspiration for handling the Kingstons.”

Tommy immediately turned to Malcolm, his face incredulous. His fingers begin twitching and Moira knew anger wasn’t far behind. Hiding her smile of satisfaction, Moira moved over to the bar and made a drink for herself before settling in for the show. _Mission accomplished_ , she thought to herself as Tommy and Malcolm began arguing. They were successfully distracted from the Green Arrow’s interest in her and how he discovered her. Moira almost felt sorry for Malcolm. For Tommy, Oliver was unacceptable collateral damage. This argument was going to be long. Very long. Moira smiled into her glass, as father and son began shouting at each other.

* * *

The corner of Waterside and 8th was exposed on all sides except the north side which was directly across from the water; however, it was shadowed by a large abandoned water tower, preventing prying eyes from getting a clear view. Long fallen into disrepair, the former boardwalk was in shambles and was now a haven for drug dealers and prostitutes. The few remaining apartment building still inhabited were dark, not a single light shining in any of the windows. The wind off the water was biting but there was no one to complain. It was silent, deadly silent. An area known for partying, normally teeming with buyers and sellers appeared to be abandoned. Tonight, it belonged to no one. Diggle slowly made his way towards the meeting location, noting the emptiness of the streets. He approached from the west side, tucking himself behind an old construction dumpster that was half-blocking the entrance to a small alley that led nowhere. Diggle had a clear view of the empty corner as well as eyes to the east. He took another look around through a set of small yet powerful binoculars.  

“I’m in position. All clear,” Diggle reported. “As in so clear, there is not a soul in sight. Not even the usual drug dealer or prostitute you would find in this area, and certainly no Enrique. Streets appear to have been swept clean.”

“Copy that. I have eyes on the meeting location. Confirmed clear,” Oliver said from his perch on the roof of a building south of the meeting location. “Felicity, do you have eyes yet?”

“No, Oliver, I do not. My keyboard was drowning in water and had to be switched out at the last minute. I also had to switch out a monitor. So no, I don’t. Accessing satellites now.”

Felicity’s voice was sugary sweet and while Diggle tried to smother a laugh both Felicity and Oliver overheard him. Oliver didn’t respond, grinning at her reprimand. He liked sassy Felicity. Very much. In fact, he planned to show her just how much he enjoyed her sass later tonight. He refocused on the mission and moved over two buildings, changing his vantage point.

“Something’s not right,” Oliver said. “This area should be swarming with drug dealers and pimps. Everything is shut down, locked up tight, even the dives.”

“Think it could be a set up?” asked Diggle, eyes scanning the area. He caught a glimpse of someone peeking out from behind a set of blinds before the person was pulled back and the blinds snapped back into place.

“Could be. But why? The cartel wants their depot back as much as we want to know what’s going on with the depot.”

“Okay, got it. Yeah, no movement out in the street but there are people in some of the buildings. I can’t see who they are, just heat signatures. Let me…hold on…..”

Felicity fell silent for a moment before coming back online.

“I was able to access a few security cameras….most cameras in this area are broken and without an ATM or bank, harder to find ones connected to the internet….Viewing is limited but one is over the cash register of a bar…oh, that’s a good idea, I need to do that for the club…..and I can make out a few people huddled behind the bar…..as if they are hiding.”

“So set up?” Oliver asked as he looked east. There was no sign of Enrique.

“I don’t know. Possible but I just don’t think Enrique would do that,” Felicity replied as she scanned the streets.

“The Cadre may have gotten to him,” Diggle suggested. “Perhaps he has no choice.”

“Perhaps,” Felicity said again before pausing. “Wait, someone is coming. He’s running, but not very well. I don’t see anyone following him, no wait, there are several teams of men keeping well back but definitely moving in on your position from all sides….oh….oh, no….Oliver, its Enrique and he is injured. Badly, from the way he is moving.”

“What direction?” asked Oliver, as he moved to the edge of the building to peer down into the streets.

“Enrique is coming from the west. There is an odd signal coming from him. A tracker, I think, but I can’t pinpoint…..” Felicity’s voice trailed off as she concentrated on tracing the signal from the tracker.

“I got him,” Diggle said as Enrique stumbled closer to where Diggle was crouched. Diggle moved across the alley, and right when Enrique passed the opening, Diggle reached out and grabbed him. Enrique attempted to struggle, but was too badly injured to do much damage.

“Tranquilo….” Diggle whispered. “Tranquilo…..”

Enrique recognized Diggle’s voice from the night at the depot and immediately stopped struggling. He stared at Diggle with glassy eyes and then looked down. Diggle followed his gaze. Blood seeped between Enrique’s fingers and he swayed on his feet.

"Shit, shit, shit.  Enrique's seriously injured. From what I can see, multiple stab wounds to the abdomen," Diggle reported just as Enrique collapsed.  Diggle caught him before he hit the ground and gently laid him down.

“We have Cadre closing in from the west,” Oliver said, the building he stood on giving him a clear view of the small group moving steadily towards Diggle’s location.

“And east and south. They are picking up the pace. I’m attempting to hack their comms, but they have some serious security,” Felicity broke in as she also accessed the emergency response system

“We need an ambulance, Felicity,” Diggle said as he took off his jacket to try and staunch the flow of blood. “Hold on, Enrique, hold on. Help is coming?”

“Just sent a message to EMS,” Felicity replied, “but you’re going to have company before they get there.”

“Diggle, take care of Enrique, I got this.”

Oliver moved to the edge of the building and sent a zip-line across the street where it anchored into the roof of the building directly across from his location. Securing it to the ledge of the building he stood on, he raced to the other corner and did the same.

“Time?” he asked Felicity as he leapt back over one building and did the same on both corners.

“30 seconds until they reach the corner just before Diggle’s location. Perhaps the sirens will run them off.”

“Felicity, where is EMS?” Diggle broke in. “I don’t hear any sirens.”

Silence for a moment, before Felicity came back on.

“Diggle, they’ve been stopped. They’ve were turned around. Told it was a false report. I’m phoning it in this time.”

“Won’t they be able to track your location?”

“No. It will look like I’m calling from the phone in the bar just down the street.   Oliver, less than 10 seconds! I can’t get into their comms…they aren’t using any of the cell towers in the area, and I can’t find the source of their connection.”

“I’m ready. It’s going to get noisy,” Oliver replied from his new position above the corner where they were supposed to have met Enrique. He could hear Diggle talking to Enrique as he spied the men closing in on their location.

“You’re going to be okay, Enrique. Just holding,” Diggle murmured.

“Agua,” Enrique muttered as he groaned in pain. Enrique looked up at Diggle and suddenly reached up to grab his shirt and pulled him close with surprising strength.

“Julio. Mi jefe. Julio. La Nina Milagro. Find Julio,” Enrique gasped, coughing up more blood. Diggle applied more pressure, knowing it was a futile gesture. Enrique was dying.

“Julio. I’ll find him,” Diggle assured Enrique. “Tell me about the depot. What’s happening at the depot?”

“Pendejos….depot…..agua….”

Enrique’s hand fell from Diggle’s jacket and he realized the man was dead. Diggle cursed and bent his head at the loss. A small explosion suddenly echoed through the streets just outside his location. He ducked, but there was no debris. _Smoke bombs,_ Diggle though as he gently closed Enrique’s eyes. He pulled his body closer to the wall, tucking it closer behind the dumpster.

Oliver fired another arrow towards the corner, this time aiming at the ground in front of the men that scattered after the first smoke bomb went off. A flash, and the men scattered further, moving back and then into adjacent alleys or towards the water. Oliver turned north and fired off two more smoke bombs and then again south.

“Diggle, you need to get out of there,” Oliver said, tension evident in his voice. “I can only distract them for so long. They are closing in on your location.”

Diggle looked up but the fire escape above him hung precariously. He grabbed the bottom rung and pulled, causing it to come crashing down. He cursed and looked towards the back of the alley. A brick wall. Staying low, he peered out into the streets and saw the Cadre’s army advancing on his position. Another arrow, and more smoke filled the streets. It would only last so long. He was a sitting duck.

“Felicity….”

“Diggle, scale the wall behind you. It drops into another alley that’s open. The Cadre has already moved past that point to advance on your location from the south. They are making their way up Waterside towards Oliver,” Felicity directed, as she scanned the area on her computer. She caught Diggle’s tracker as he moved deeper into the alley. Her voice was calm with just the slightest hint of tension.

“I’ll cover until your clear, Diggle,” Oliver said as he fired another arrow towards the group advancing north.

“Meet you at the van,” Diggle said and after one last look at Enrique, he disappeared over the brick wall.

“Oliver,” Felicity continued once she made sure Diggle was clear of danger. “There’s a boat approaching, four men, mounted guns.”

"Time?"

“One minute,” Felicity said. Checking that Diggle was secure in the van and free from any surprises, she turned her attention to an exit strategy for Oliver.

“What do you have for me?”

Felicity didn’t answer as she quickly considered and discarded multiple exit strategies. She eyed the water and the buildings closest to the water. Despite the seriousness of the situation, she couldn’t help the smile that escaped.

“Diggle, new rendezvous point. Waterside and 2nd.”

“Felicity?” Oliver asked the Cadre approached the abandoned building he perched on. He sent the fire escape crashing to the ground but he could hear them on the stairs inside. They were no longer trying to remain quiet.

“Oliver, behind your building, there’s an old water tower. Structure appears stable. Need you to get there.”

Oliver jammed the door to the roof before running over to the backside of the building. He saw the water tower and fired his last zip line arrow, anchoring it on his end. Oliver could hear men kicking at the roof door, trying to bust it open.

“And then?”

“Jump,” Felicity ordered. The door on the roof banged open and Oliver connected to the line, swinging out in the open, spinning around to face the building, firing three arrows in rapid succession towards the rooftop. They exploded in clouds of smoke upon impact. Gun shots rang out and he felt the heat of a bullet close to his leg. He fired another arrow towards the street, setting it off remotely so that it exploded in midair, obscuring their view of him.

“A water exit?”

“Enjoy,” she said and Oliver could hear the smile in her voice. He sighed and after securing his bow, leapt out and over into the water.

* * *

“We need to find Julio,” Oliver said as soon as he entered the lair, dripping water everywhere. He unzipped his jacket and shrugged it off, taking the towel Felicity offered him.  She took his jacket and hung it on the mannequin for drying and then treatment. She turned as Oliver removed his wet t-shirt and her eyes lingered over the muscles on his back. She flushed when she realized Oliver was watching her stare. She ignored his smug smile.

“Yes, but that could take time. We don’t know who he is or if that’s even really his name. And Julio is an incredibly common name,” Felicity replied as she went to Oliver’s footlocker to pull out dry clothes. Her eyes rested briefly on the brown leather book tucked to the side.

“We don’t have that kind of time,” Diggle pointed out as he put his bloodstained jacket into a bag. He laid his hand heavily on the bag, an image of Enrique dying flashing through his mind. It didn’t matter that he didn’t know the man, it was life too early ended. A small hand squeezed his arm and Diggle met Felicity’s eyes. He nodded in response to the look of concern on her face and she gave him a sad, gentle smile. She squeezed his arm again before moving towards Oliver.

“Then the Green Arrow has another conversation with my mother,” Oliver said drily, toeing off his boots. His socks squished and he grimaced as cold water pooled around his toes. He shot Felicity a look as she approached him. She ignored it as well, handing him the dry clothes she carried before rising on tiptoe to whisk a kiss across his cheek. He smiled and as she turned away, he swatted her across the butt with his towel. She jumped, her eyes darkening in promise of retribution. Oliver smirked, his own eyes telling her he was looking forward to it. _Focus_ , Felicity ordered herself.

“She does want to talk to you….your other you….” Felicity continued without missing a beat. She leaned against her computer desk, folding her arms across her middle. “Although, she does want to talk to you-you…. God, all your ‘yous’ are starting to get confusing.”

“This isn’t a gentle conversation, Oliver,” Diggle called out to Oliver as he disappeared into the bathroom to change. Diggle set his used weapons on the table for cleaning after unloading the clips and clearing the chambers. He glanced at his hands, dried blood still covering his palms and parts of his fingers. A cleaning wipe appeared in his field of vision. Diggle gave Felicity a grateful look and this time she nodded. She set the canister of wipes on the table in front of him, squeezing his arm again in comfort before moving back to her computers. Diggle began methodically cleaning the blood off his hands while waiting for his turn in the bathroom.

“None of our conversations have been gentle since I discovered her involvement with the Cadre,” Oliver called back. “And that’s just with me, as her son. I don’t see why my questioning her as the Green Arrow would be any different.

“True, but this may require some serious pressure. More than you may be comfortable doing to your own mother. You up for that?”

“I have no choice. We need to find out what’s going on in the depot and fast. We are out of options.”

Oliver came out of the bathroom, rubbing the towel over his head. He tossed the towel aside, running his fingers through his hair. He leaned against the table across from Felicity, bracing his hands on either side of him. He sighed as he thought about what he would need to do to get his mother talking. He frowned.

“Actually, we’re not out of options,” Felicity said as Diggle walked out from having washed his hands. Both men looked at her in curiosity. She raised her hand and pointed at herself.

“Me. I could talk to her.”

Neither man said anything for a moment, surprise at her suggestion plainly visible on their faces. Then they both began talking at once.

“Absolutely not –” Oliver began.

“Actually, that’s a good idea –” Diggle said, nodding in agreement.

“She is a threat –”

“She won’t expect you –”

“The risk is too–”

“More willing to talk to you—”

“Stop!” Felicity finally said, holding her hands up. “Lord knows I have no desire to speak with her. Ever. But this isn’t about me. This is about something bigger. And I’m her only contact to the Green Arrow – that she’s aware of – so my approaching her would not be unusual.”

Oliver suddenly leaned forward and pulled Felicity away from her desk and right into his arms. She was right, and he knew it. Despite his anger at his mother, he wasn’t ready to treat her like he would any other suspect. He wasn’t ready to scare her; the woman who comforted him during his nightmares, who held his hand after his first girlfriend dumped him in the middle of the cafeteria, or who sat outside his bedroom door for nearly six months after he came home from the island. While he didn’t like the idea of Felicity being alone with his mother, he knew she would be far more effective than he.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said quietly, unable to _not_ give her an out. He struggled against the basic instinct to wrap her in cotton-wool and tuck her away until all of this was over.

“I know,” Felicity replied, rubbing her cheek against the soft cotton of his shirt, “and I know what I said about her not speaking to me ever, but this….it’s important. I want to. And I can do this.”

“I know,” Oliver echoed and she smiled up at him, all of her love there for him to see.

“So, I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”

“She’s out of town,” Oliver said. “She is supposed to come back tomorrow night for the club opening.”

“Then after the club opening. In the meantime, there is something else you can ask your mother about as yourself,” Felicity said, pulling away to include Diggle in their conversation. She kneeled back in front of the footlocker and pulled out the book.

“Has she mentioned this book at all? Have you?”

Oliver shook his head, taking the book from Felicity and flipping through the blank pages.

“I don’t want to ask her about this book until we figure out how to read it,” Oliver said. “I can’t trust that she won’t lie if she knows I don’t know what it says or what it means.”

“Well, actually, before Enrique changed our plans, I cracked the mystery of the book,” Felicity said. Once again, both men stared at Felicity in surprised silence.

“What?” she finally asked, self-consciously. “I didn’t have a chance until now to tell you. We _have_ been a bit busy tonight.”

“You figured out the book?” Diggle repeated and Felicity nodded. She turned back to her desk and removed her own copy of the book from her bag. She handed it over to Diggle who immediately began flipping through the pages. The pages were filled with a strange purple ink. Looking over Diggle’s shoulder, Oliver recognized his mother’s writing over many of the pages. There were lists, drawings, and small cryptic paragraphs. Here and there, Oliver saw what looked like his father’s writing.

“When did you do this?” Oliver asked. Diggle handed him the book and Oliver flipped back to some of the hastily drawn sketches he saw towards the middle of the book.

“Today…or rather, yesterday….while you were with Moira. I had some free time at work and I started studying the book. There was something about the paper that felt off to me. It wasn’t paper you would find in a journal. So I took it down to the on-site R&D lab at QC and found photo developing solution. I used a paint brush to test a small section. I was so surprised when it worked.”

Oliver rubbed a page between his fingers, only now feeling the difference Felicity discovered immediately.

“How long will it take for you to do my father’s book?”

“Not long,” Felicity said, taking the book Oliver was holding out. “I ‘borrowed’ some of the solution from QC…..don’t fire me….and stashed it here earlier before I went home.”

“Did any of this make sense to you?” Diggle asked and Felicity shook her head.

“I didn’t have a lot of time to really dig into it, but what I did see did not look familiar, except for some of the drawings. So I scanned those pages and placed them all on one platform.”

Felicity walked over to the table screen and pulled up the drawings. The three of them studied the drawings. Diggle leaned forward.

“They look like parts of a puzzle,” he murmured and reached out a finger to touch one of the drawings on the screen. It moved and he jerked back, looking back at Felicity for guidance.

“Oh, it’s a touch screen. You can take the image and rotate it or move it to another part of the screen.”

Diggle nodded and turned back to the screen. He slowly rotated the image around until it was a complete 180 degrees from its previous position. Then he moved it to rest next to another image. The images appeared to connect in the center but were slightly off.

“Hmmmm…..” Felicity mused, moving closer. She studied the images that appeared to connect and the remaining images. “I think it _is_ a puzzle….the images are pieces of one picture. I wonder if your father’s book has images as well and if they are part of the larger picture.”

Oliver tilted his head and then reached out to turn the image again. The image snapped alongside the other image, creating a new shape.

“Oh,” Felicity said as she moved between Oliver and Diggle to peer closely at the image. “We need more pieces. I’ll get started on your father’s book tonight.”

“Not tonight,” Oliver replied, settling his hand on the back of her neck. He flexed his fingers and Felicity’s head fell back at the pressure. A small murmur escaped her and she sighed.

“Yeah, maybe not tonight,” Felicity said softly.

“Definitely not tonight,” Diggle added, studying the blood on his pants. He thought of Enrique lying cold and alone in an alley in the Glades. Whatever it was that Enrique discovered, it was important enough to end his life. Diggle refused to let that loss be in vain. “None of us will be any good running on fumes.”

Felicity nodded in agreement and began putting her systems in sleep mode. Grabbing her coat, she head towards the back entrance, with Oliver behind her. Diggle switched off the lights, plunging the lair into darkness.

“It’s going to get worse, isn’t it?” Felicity asked softly as the three walked outside. Oliver took her hand while Diggle nodded.

“Go home, rest. And Felicity? Thank you,” Diggle said, squeezing Felicity’s shoulder. Felicity smiled and Diggle nodded again before heading for his car.   Felicity turned to look up at Oliver and she saw the weight of the city resting heavily on his shoulders. She pulled him closer to her. 

“Let’s go home,” Felicity said and he nodded in agreement. He raised their clasped hands and kissed her fingers. He didn’t need to ask and she didn’t need to clarify. Home was with Felicity.

 

* * *

“Very clever, Moira,” Malcom said as he walked her out to the waiting car that would take her back to Central City. Moira tugged on her gloves before looking quizzically at Malcom.

“I have no idea what you mean, Malcolm.”

“We had a deal!”

“And we still do,” Moira replied calmly, adjusting the belt of her coat. “Nothing’s changed. What is the harm of Tommy knowing that you murdered Robert?”

Malcolm’s hand shot out and he grabbed Moira’s arm with brutal force. He dragged her away from the lights of the front door and behind one of the large potted ferns that flanked the entryway.

“I do not know what game you are playing, but I advise you think long and hard before crossing me. There is very little that Tommy doesn’t know. Can you say the same about Oliver? Your secrets are far worse than mine…far worse.”

Moira yanked her arm free and stepped away from Malcolm.

“Careful, Malcolm,” she coolly replied. “Your fear is showing.”

She turned away and settled into the backseat of the car. Moira waited until the car was on the main road before dropping her mask. Her hands began to shake and her stomach knotted in fear. She was running out of time.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A successful club opening, glorious sex, and more intrigue...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays everyone! I hope all of you have a wonderfully wonderful holiday season!
> 
> Thank you again for your feedback....I love reading the comments. Also, thank you to those who DM'd me on Twitter to discuss. Those are the best conversations!! I can't tell you how much it helps get me in the right frame of mind.
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

 

Thea reviewed her check list from her place behind the bar, marking off each item as complete while scrawling additional notes for final directions to her staff. An hour away from opening and things were proceeding as planned except for the notable absence of Oliver and Tommy. She sighed, wondering for the millionth time what happened to make those two so distant with each other. The last few meetings were tense; conversation focused solely on the business of the club with none of the joking familiarity of years of friendship.   On the one hand, Thea didn’t really mind. Before, meetings took forever because of all the laughter and off-topic conversations. On the other hand, though, Thea could see how much Oliver was bothered by Tommy’s indifference. His few attempts at keeping things normal were met with silence from Tommy, an inscrutable expression on his face. He was almost alien to Thea, this Tommy, and not a little bit scary. Still, whatever it was, Thea didn’t think it would last long. Nothing lasted long with Tommy.

Thea heard the front doors of the club open and she looked up in relief, expecting to see Oliver or Tommy. Instead, to her surprise, she saw her mother walking across the club towards her.

“Mom! We’re not opening for another hour! You are coming to the opening, aren’t you?” Thea said, coming out from behind the bar to greet Moira. Her mother was dressed in her usual business suit.

“Really, Thea. I’m not quite the club going type. I thought I would come see the club before you open.  You're going to be so busy tonight, you won't even notice I'm not here,” Moira smiled and kissed her daughter hello. She brushed a lock of hair from Thea’s cheek before straightening the straps on Thea’s dress. Moira looked her over, nodding in approval. Thea rolled her eyes.

“So, I’m guessing by that nod my outfit passed the Moira Queen not-so-slutty test?”

Moira laughed, slipping her arm around Thea’s shoulders as she turned to survey the club. The mix of old and new tugged at her as she glanced around the club. The exposed brick walls with plush velvet couches and chairs nestled in dim corners and the heavy iron light fixtures mixing with the sleek art deco bar tables and stools gave the club an intimate feel that was unexpected. It was a place to dance, but also a place to gather and talk. She looked up at the VIP section above the main floor, and saw more of the same textures, naturally mixing together.

“I’m so proud of you, Thea.”

“Really?” Thea asked, unable to hide her surprise at Moira’s words. “You weren’t very happy with the idea when Oliver first suggested it.”

“I was wrong,” Moira said and laughed when Thea pretended to be having a heart attack. “Oh, stop it! I can admit I was wrong. And in this case, Oliver was right. You have a knack for this business and it shows in every recommendation you made to your brother. He’s kept me informed on your progress and from what I can see; he and Tommy adopted most, if not all, of your ideas.”

Thea smiled with pride. She looked around the room again only she wasn’t looking for things to fix or change, but rather, she saw what she created.   She did this. She _really_ did this. She leaned into Moira.

“Thank you, Mom. To be honest, I’ve surprised myself. I wasn’t sure how this would work but I found it challenging,” Thea said. “And rewarding. Yes, rewarding.”

“I also noticed the change in how you manage your monthly allowance,” Moira teased and Thea laughed.

“Well, I’ve cut back on my party habit quite a bit. Except for nights scoping out the competition, I’ve been too busy to think about hitting the club circuit.”

“And of course, there is that business management class you’re taking,” Moira added, and she felt Thea stiffen.

“The trustee told you?” sighed Thea.

“Yes. But I’m more interested in why you didn’t.”

“I don’t know. Embarrassment, maybe. Or I thought you would give me an ‘I told you so’ or something like that.”

“Thea,” Moira said, shaking her head. “Never. I learned a valuable lesson from all of this and I’m actually quite ashamed that it was your brother that had to teach me after I failed to learn it from my experiences with him."

“What lesson?” Thea asked curiously.

“You needed to find your own way and in your own time. What I wanted, what I expected, what _society_ wanted or expected was irrelevant. You found your own way.”

“I like it, Mom. I really do. I don’t know if it’s because I’m taking what I’m learning and putting it to practical use every day or if it’s because I’ve, I don’t know, matured, maybe, probably….God, hopefully….but I like it.”

“I’m so proud of you, Thea.”

Thea leaned her head on Moira’s shoulder, savoring the moment. After a moment, she felt Moira’s lips brush her hair.

“Are you okay, Mom? With the break in and everything, and Oliver not being home much,” Thea tentatively asked but her mother was shaking her head.

“I should ask you if you’re okay. We haven’t really talked much about the break in.”

Thea shrugged, “I don't know.  There is something off about it.  The damage....I don't know think it was just some bored teens looking for something to do. Although...I remember my friends and I used to dare each other….”

Thea’s voice trailed off at the way her mother’s eyebrow raised and she flushed. Moira laughed, squeezing her shoulder.

“I should go. You open in less than half an hour and there was a line already forming when I arrived.” 

“Are you sure you won’t stay for the opening?" Thea asked as she turned to grab her list from the bar.  

"I'm sure.  This is a night for young people.  You'll tell me all about tomorrow, yes?"

Thea nodded and gave her mother one last hug, quickly kissing Moira's cheek before calling for her staff over to meet her in front of the DJ. Moira watched Thea for a moment, pride filling her. This is why she and Robert did what they did; for their children, their future and to protect their legacy when they were gone. A sense of foreboding filled Moira and turning, she saw why. Tommy stood just inside the club, staring at her. Moira started for the entrance. As she passed Tommy and went to push the door open, he grabbed her wrist. Moira willed herself not to react, staring at his hand, calming herself so she could meet his eyes without fear.  This was just another example of his erratic behavior, touching her this way where anyone could see.

“That is the second time a Merlyn put his hands on me without permission,” Moira said, her voice low and harsh.

“There was a time, Moira, when you preferred a Merlyn to a Queen.”

Moira absorbed the blow, not at all surprised that Tommy would know one of her secrets. She risked a glance back at Thea and saw she was still giving the staff last minute instructions. Turning back to Tommy, she kept her expression blank.

“We all have lapses in judgment, Tommy.”

“Your conversation with the Green Arrow,” he began, his fingers tightening around her wrist.

“Will have to wait,” Moira said. “Oliver is here.”

Tommy looked out and saw Oliver was making his way towards the front entrance. He was stopping to chat with people already in line, handing out free drink vouchers every now and then. Moira took the opportunity to jerk away from Tommy.  He made no move to stop her, knowing she was right.  An idea began to form in his mind and he glanced again between Moira and Oliver.  

“Enjoy your night, Tommy. And congratulations on the club,” Moira said as Oliver approached the door. She stepped outside and paused briefly by Oliver, who instinctively held the door for her. 

“Congratulations, Oliver,” she said and he nodded, not stopping to speak with her. She watched as he went inside, not pausing to speak with Tommy either. Moira walked towards her waiting vehicle, aware of Tommy’s interest in the tension between mother and son. Of course, she was equally aware of the tension between him and Oliver. She had no doubt that it had to do with one Felicity Smoak.

* * *

Oliver stared out over the crowd from his place in the VIP section of the club. The Mill vibrated with music as well as the excitement of the crowd. Looking towards the bar, he saw Thea managing her bartenders while filling orders for the roving servers. Glasses and crumpled napkins were quickly whisked away from tabletops as Thea’s staff delivered fresh drinks and took orders for more. It was close to eleven and Oliver had to admit it. They were a success. Glancing at his watch again, Oliver frowned, wondering where Felicity was. He was about to head down to the office to call her when Tommy appeared alongside him. He he leaned back against the rail, drink in one hand. He eyed Oliver broodingly.

“I don’t like this,” Tommy finally said, leaning closer so Oliver could hear him above the noise of the club. Oliver didn’t even pretend to not understand.

“Your choice,” he reminded his friend.

“You picked her over me. You let a woman, some random woman, come between us.”

“No,” Oliver said calmly, keeping his gaze on the crowd. “You did. We’re not kids anymore, Tommy. Since when does who I choose to spend time with require your approval?”

Tommy scowled but said nothing. He didn’t know this Oliver. He didn’t know how to approach him, to talk to him, to convince him that Felicity was a problem. He didn’t know how to separate him from Felicity so that Oliver wouldn’t get hurt. The Cadre was going after the Green Arrow. With the Green Arrow eliminated, Felicity would soon follow. It was her tie to Oliver that made her eventual demise delicate. However, thanks to Moira and his father, Tommy found a way around that. The Cadre would kill both the Green Arrow and Felicity. Oliver would be none the wiser. So for now, Tommy could pretend that all was well.

“So I was jealous,” Tommy said and he saw the look of surprise on Oliver’s face. “What? Don’t look so surprised. You’re my best friend, my brother. Suddenly, I was on the outside.”

“By choice, Tommy.”

“You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”

“Make what easy?”

“I’m trying to apologize.”

“Oh? Is that what you’re doing?”

“That’s as close to an apology any Merlyn gets.”

Oliver couldn’t help it. He laughed, shaking his head. 

“I was never angry at you, Tommy. Just disappointed.”

“I know.”

As Tommy pointed out, that was as close to an apology as Oliver was going to get. He nodded and continued to look over the crowd. A couple approached the bouncer at the foot of the stairs. They handed the bouncer a card and what appeared to be a check. After glancing at it, the bouncer unhooked the rope to let them through.

“How much has Thea’s charity VIP raised for education?” Tommy asked idly as he turned to look over the crowd. He eyed a couple of incredibly gorgeous women, smiling down at one woman who was staring up at him, an invitation written all over her face. She tilted her head toward the stairs but Tommy ignored her. If she really wanted it, she would wait. He smirked at her crestfallen look but she didn’t move.

“Just over five thousand.”

“What?” Tommy said in surprise. “Five thousand? Tonight?”

“Oh no, that was in advance. I have no idea what the count is tonight, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we took in another thousand or so. Look around. We’re packed.”

Tommy took another look around. A real, hard look and this time not for the purpose of his next one night stand. To his surprise, he saw that Oliver was right. He registered the number of people waiting for their turn at the bar. The crowded dance floor and the fact that every table was taken and any time a table was vacated, it was quickly taken by another group. Tommy then looked at the VIP area and except for the chairs and sofa closest to him and Oliver, it was filled with people. While less crowded, it was, nonetheless, full.

“We’re a success,” Tommy said in surprise, not sure how he felt about that. The Glades was always the enemy and the people who lived in the Glades equally so. It was a target to be destroyed, to be cleansed. Now he was part owner of what appeared to be an incredibly successful business venture.

“For tonight,” Oliver agreed. “We are trending on Twitter, according to Thea. I have no idea what that means, but she was super excited.”

“We’re a success,” Tommy repeated and Oliver laughed.

“Yeah, we are.”

They stood in companionable silence, the previous tension gone.

“We good?” Tommy asked and Oliver smiled. 

“Always.”

* * *

It was close to midnight when Felicity finally arrived. After doing final software checks for the club’s opening night, she had snuck down to the lair to work on Robert Queen’s book. When she next looked up, it was nearly ten.   Swearing, she had snuck out the secret entrance to rush home to change, cursing for not bringing her dress just in case something like this happened. Her security detail drove slowly to the club drop off site and Felicity stared in amazement at the line.

“Looks like the opening is a success,” the driver said, glancing at her in his rearview mirror.

“Yes. Yes it does,” she replied, imagining how excited Thea must be.

They inched forward slowly, giving Felicity a chance to study the line of people waiting to get in the car. Women dressed scantily shivered in the cold night air, yet from their animated expressions as they talked and laughed, it was clear they did not care.   Groups of friends took selfies with the iron lettering of the club’s name in the background. Her phone buzzed and she saw that it was a text from Thea asking her where was she and did she see that the club was trending on Twitter. Felicity quickly texted back with celebratory emojis and that she was just outside. Ignoring the protests of her security detail, Felicity rolled down her window and took a snap of the crowd waiting in line. She captured club name at an angle. Accessing the club’s twitter account, she posted it along with a caption asking where everyone was spending their Friday night and The Mill hashtag. In seconds, she watched as it was retweeted over 100 times. She smiled in satisfaction. The car inched forward and finally arrived at the drop off.

“There’s no need to wait,” Felicity said. “I’ll be going home with Mr. Queen. Or rather, he’ll be going home with me.”

Her detail nodded in understanding and Felicity blushed. She really needed to get a handle on the blushing. Her door was opened by an attendant and she stepped out into the cold air. People craned their necks to get a look at who was getting out of the car and a low murmur told Felicity that a few recognized her. Whether it was from her kidnapping or relationship with Oliver, she didn’t know. She didn’t care. There was something in the air, something exciting. Music spilled out from the club every time the doors opened, and the bodies in line swayed instinctively to the addictive beat. Felicity felt the pulsing rhythm fill her and anticipation coursed through her. For what, she had no idea. Clubs weren’t really her thing, but something about tonight had her blood pounding. _Oliver,_ she thought and the mere thought of him had her nerve endings tingling.

Felicity walked up to the bouncer who recognized her immediately.

“Miss Smoak. Thought you’d be here earlier,” he said, smiling as he unhooked the rope to let her through. People in the crowd groaned and some actually called her name. She didn’t turn her head, knowing it wasn’t anyone she knew. 

“Work,” she replied to the bouncer and he nodded as he held the front door of the club open for her. Smiling her thanks, Felicity stepped inside, her fingers going to the buttons of her coat as she took in the scene in front of her. The dance floor was packed, as was the bar. Groups huddled around tables, possessively holding on to stools. Cell phones captured moments of the night and Felicity was certain if she were to log on to the club’s Twitter feed, she would see the people before her spread across the timeline. Felicity removed her coat, her eyes searching for Oliver. She and Thea spotted each other at the same time. Thea grinned and waved at the room in general and Felicity smiled back, nodding her head, impressed at the crowd that Thea was managing. After handing her coat over and securing the claim ticket in her purse, Felicity moved forward, trying to find Oliver in the crowd. She began to make her way to Thea but then stopped where she was. A rush of sensation swept up her back and she knew where he was. She looked up toward the VIP area and there he was, staring down at her.

Everything faded into the background as their gazes held. Electricity crackled between them, arcing through the air.  The music seemed to slow, it's beat heavier, sultry even.  Felicity began making her way towards him, never looking away. He wore a dark suit with no tie, his white dress shirt unbuttoned at the neck. His hair was tousled from running his fingers through it, and his eyes, dear Lord, his eyes. Her pulse began to pound and that earlier anticipation grew, racing through her blood, heating her skin. Even from this distance she could see the heat in his eyes as he finally dropped his gaze to roam over her figure. Any doubts about her dress faded at the expression of desire that crossed his face. The halter style of her dress left her back and shoulders bare while the deep vee of the front showed her breasts in such a way she had blushed when trying on the dress. Ending just above the knee, the silky deep navy fabric floated around her legs with every step she took. As she climbed the stairs to the VIP section, she saw the muscle in his cheek ticking, and Felicity felt the overwhelming urge to run her fingers across the line of his jaw. Oliver met her at the top of the stairs, his hand immediately going to her waist to draw her in closer just as she raised her fingers to his jaw.

“Hey,” he said and she smiled at his usual greeting. She loved the way he said it, the timbre of his voice a caress against her skin. He kissed her lightly on the lips and Felicity leaned into him. Her breasts brushed against his chest and she shivered at the contact.

“Sorry I’m late. Was sidetracked.”

“Anything good?”

“Just the book.”

“What book?” asked a voice from behind Oliver and Felicity stiffened a fraction before forcing herself to relax. Tommy. She took a breath and counted to five before pulling back from Oliver.

“Hello, Tommy. Congratulations on the opening,” Felicity replied, mentally congratulating _herself_ on how _normal_ she sounded. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest and Felicity knew it wasn’t from the way Oliver was moving his fingers against the bare skin of her back.

“I didn’t see the back of the dress,” he murmured against her ear and she couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at the corner of her lips. She turned her attention back to Oliver, thoughts of Tommy immediately disappearing as he pressed his fingers into the base of her spine.

“What back?” she teased and felt his body go stiff. He glanced at the back, or lack thereof, and looked down at her with hooded eyes.

“There’s no back,” he said hoarsely, his fingers skimming up her spine to the nape of her neck. He fingered the knot holding her dress around her neck.

“No, there’s not,” she whispered as she whisked a kiss across his jaw. He turned to meet her lips in a light kiss. A cough interrupted them and Felicity jumped. Apparently, both she _and_ Oliver had forgotten about Tommy and from the expression on his face, he was very aware that they had forgotten his presence. She blushed. Looking around, she was relieved to see that everyone was too wrapped up in their own little worlds to care about what she and Oliver were doing. Of course, she wasn’t completely naïve. She was certain a few cell phone pictures were taken, but there was nothing she could do about that. She turned back to Tommy to find him waiting expectantly.

“So what book?” Tommy repeated and both Oliver and Felicity looked at him in confusion.

“Book?” asked Oliver, clearly not recalling his conversation with Felicity.  Tommy rolled his eyes.

“Yes,” Tommy said. “Felicity said she was late because of a book. I don’t think I’ve ever been so distracted by a book to lose track of my drinking time. Tell me about this book, Felicity.”

“You would be required to actually _read_  a book to get distracted,” Oliver teased as he recalled why Felicity was late.  His attempt to distract Tommy worked as his friend laughed.  

"I read," Tommy protested.

"The swimsuit edition of SI doesn't count," Oliver remarked, eliciting more laughter.

Felicity said nothing, not hearing the back and forth between the friends. Her eyes were unfocused as she stared through Tommy, not seeing him or the club. Instead, she saw damp, concrete walls and wires running from her arms to some machine she couldn’t see. Tangled, greasy strands of hair fell over her eyes and there was the sound of footsteps echoing in her ears. A man’s footstep, falling heavily across the chipped tile of the floor. _Tell me about the book, Ms. Smoak. Did you read it? Could you read it? Who did you tell about the book, Ms. Smoak? The NSA?_

“Felicity? Felicity?”

Felicity jerked back from the hand on her shoulder and stepped away, dimly aware that it was Oliver she was moving away from. She looked around, her eyes a little bit wild as the sounds of the club crashed around her. Music pounded in her head and voices spoke loudly to be heard above the volume. She shook her head. She was safe. She was safe. She was safe. Felicity looked up to find Tommy staring at her with interest while Oliver took a cautious step toward her. _Keep it together, Smoak_ , Felicity lectured herself. _Do not let that man see you’re a complete basket case right now._

“I’m okay,” she said, taking Oliver’s hand. “I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?” Oliver asked, feeling how cold her hand was. He pulled her into his side, surrounding her in his warmth. Felicity nodded.

“Yes. I’m sorry. I just –“ Felicity trailed off, gesturing weakly and Oliver nodded in understanding. He wasn’t sure what triggered Felicity’s flashback, but something about the way she was looking at Tommy had dread curling in Oliver’s belly. He wondered what it was about Tommy that set Felicity on edge. Perhaps it was the way they met. Without a buffer, Tommy was a lot to take in and his suspicions of Felicity had been obvious. Still, he wasn’t a threat. He gave Tommy an apologetic look.

“Did I miss something?” Tommy asked seemingly confused. But Felicity caught a calculated look in his eyes and she forced a smile that felt natural.

“No, sorry. That happens sometimes. Large crowds…well, sometimes I zone out. I think I’ll head down to the bar, get a drink.”

“I can have someone bring you one,” Oliver said looking around for one of the wait staff but Felicity shook her head. She needed to regroup and to do that she needed to be away from Tommy.

“No, that’s okay. I need to say hi to Thea and make sure the software is functioning properly. Like you, I’m not here to just enjoy the club. I have work to do. This is the first real test of the software I designed and I want to make sure it goes smoothly….not that it wouldn’t because I’m that good, but you can never be too careful…and I’m always careful….but you never know…..” Felicity abruptly stopped talking, keenly aware that she was babbling.

“Okay,” Oliver said carefully. “I’ll meet you down there in a bit?”

Felicity nodded. With a smile to Tommy, she turned to go.

“Felicity?” Tommy called and with her back to him, Felicity closed her eyes and counted to five once again. She would not let him see weakness. _Or more weakness,_ Felicity amended. “You never did say what book held your interest.”

Felicity met Tommy’s gaze, certain he was playing with her. Oliver watched as Felicity’s head tilted to the side in that way that told Oliver her mind was puzzling out a problem. Only he wasn’t sure what problem she was working out and why it involved Tommy. For that matter, why did Tommy keep asking about what book Felicity was reading? He was about to jump in with something related to QC when Felicity spoke.

“Persuasion,” she finally said and without waiting for an answer, headed down the stairs.

“Tommy,” Oliver sighed and Tommy held his hands up in surrender. “What is wrong with you?”

“Hey, I was just trying to make conversation. Not my fault she’s jumpy. It wasn’t me, Oliver. That was all her,” he protested. “What did I say that made her panic?”

“She didn’t panic; it was a flashback. And it wasn’t anything in particular,” Oliver lied, instinctively protecting Felicity as well as details about her kidnapping. He watched as Felicity made her way below towards the bar, very much aware of Tommy watching him.

“We can’t control when a flashback happens,” Oliver murmured as he watched Felicity maneuver her way through the crowd. _There was normally always a trigger,_ he thought and again he felt that small tug of dread.

“Go join her. I’ll make your excuses, smooth things over,” Tommy finally said, gesturing to the three members of the press waiting to complete their interview of the owners of what was quickly becoming the hottest new club in town.

“Tell them I’ll give twenty extra minutes,” Oliver called back, already making his way downstairs. He followed the path Felicity took and found her with a drink in hand as she looked over the main touch screen at the bar.

“Everything alright?” he asked, noting how she was studying the screen with concern.

“Hmmm? Oh, yes. Small glitch with the beer selection but easily fixed. I don’t think the staff, or Thea, even noticed.”

Oliver joined her behind the bar, nudging her shoulder with his own.

“You sure you’re okay?”

Felicity looked up at him and reached up to brush the hair off his forehead. She loved the length of his hair. Still short, but long enough for it to occasionally fall across his forehead; it was the perfect length to run her fingers through. From the way he leaned into her touch, Felicity knew Oliver enjoyed the sensation as much as she.

“I’m fine,” she said, shrugging off the small twinge of guilt pricking at her conscience. She knew Tommy didn’t like her and that she was the source of his estrangement from Oliver. From the way they were talking tonight, they must have smoothed things over. She didn’t want to be the cause of more problems between the friends. Tommy seemed to instinctively know exactly what to say to put her on edge and she was very confident that he was fully aware of that power he held over her. She didn’t want to talk about it though. She was the cause of so much discord right now and while she knew it wasn’t her fault, it didn’t stop her from feeling terrible.

Oliver moved behind her and pulled her back against him, his arms going around her as he nuzzled her neck. He glanced up over the crowd and saw a few speculative looks thrown their way. He ignored them just as he ignored the photographs being snapped with phones. He knew she wasn’t telling him the full truth but he wasn’t going to push her. She would tell him when she was ready.

“Have I mentioned,” he said as he pressed a kiss to her shoulder, “how much I really, _really_ like this dress?”

“As a matter of fact, no,” Felicity replied, welcoming the change of topic. She wanted to recapture that feeling of anticipation from earlier. She angled her head to the side as he kissed her neck, surrendering to the feeling of Oliver’s lips on her skin.

“Remind me later and I’ll tell you. Better yet,” Oliver said in a low voice, “I’ll show you.”

“I’m going to hold you to that promise,” Felicity said her voice husky with promise. She shifted, rubbing against him and Oliver’s chest rumbled as he growled into her ear.

“Careful….I need to head back upstairs and if you keep doing that, I won’t be able to walk.”

Felicity turned her head and he kissed her softly on the lips, holding back from deepening the kiss. She intoxicated him. He wanted nothing more than to drag her out of the club and home for the rest of the night. Reluctantly, he moved back and she shifted away so their bodies were no longer touching. He gave her another kiss, his hand sliding down and across her backside in a hidden caress. Kissing her fingers, Oliver headed back towards the VIP area and the waiting reporters. 

* * *

The rest of the night passed smoothly and after Oliver’s promise that sense of anticipation returned, growing stronger with every look and touch. They didn’t spend much time together since Oliver was constantly mingling with VIPs and other customers. Tommy was always around, but he never came over to the bar, preferring to stay in the VIP area. Felicity was kept equally busy as she maneuvered through typical software glitches. Occasionally, Felicity would feel the pads of Oliver’s fingers against her back, lightly caressing her skin as he passed by her when moving from one side of the club to the other. Or, if she was passing him, she would pause briefly to press her fingers to his wrist, or reach up to brush her lips against the line of his jaw. Without fail, every time their eyes met, the look in Oliver’s eyes set Felicity’s blood on fire.

Felicity sighed in relief as Thea locked the back door behind the last of the staff. It was past three in the morning and the club was cleaned and ready for tomorrow night.

“Oh my God. My feet….and how the hell do you look so…… _immaculate_?” Felicity yawned, kicking off her heels and swinging her feet up on the stool across from her. Thea laughed as she came took a seat on the other side of Felicity. There was a glow of satisfaction on her face as she looked around the club.

“I’m a Queen….more importantly, I’m a Queen woman…..Queen women do not allow the rabble to see us less than perfectly coiffed,” Thea teased, tossing her head in mocking manner. Felicity groaned, reaching out to tiredly swat at Thea.  

“God help me, if I could, I’d go shopping in my pajama pants. I would have worn them tonight if not for your very stern lecture on proper club apparel,” Felicity yawned again, closing her eyes.

“That dress is fantastic. You look hot….and edible. Which is probably why my brother could not keep his hands off you.”

Felicity didn’t say anything, but the blush that spread across her sheets had Thea laughing.

“It went well, didn’t it?” Thea asked, needing affirmation of her own opinion. Felicity heard the doubt in her voice and she opened her eyes.

“Are you kidding? It was fantastic! The club was trending all night….I e-mailed you the data from the various social media platforms…..and you raised another two thousand towards education in the Glades. Thea, you’re a success!”

“It feels like a dream,” Thea confessed and Felicity gave her a drowsy smile. Before she could reply, the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs had both women turning toward the VIP area. Oliver came around, his jacket long gone, his shirt sleeves rolled up.

“Where’s Tommy?” Thea asked when the women realized he was alone.

“He left just before closing,” Oliver replied, not missing the look of relief in Felicity’s eyes. He lifted her feet from the stool and sat down, adjusting them on his lap. His thumbs dug into the sole of her left foot and Felicity groaned in pleasure.

“With a redhead or brunette?” Thea drawled and Oliver smirked.

“A blonde,” he answered as he slipped his hands to Felicity’s calf and began kneading the sore muscle.

“Unusual,” Thea said and sighed. “I’m too tired to consider what that means.”

Thea didn’t miss the way Felicity and Oliver were staring at each other. The amount of sexual tension these two oozed was envy inducing. Hiding a smile, she stood up, arching her back. Twisting to one side and then the other, she then grabbed her cell from the bar.

“I’m heading home,” she said. “You guys leaving?”

“Yes, but don’t wait for us. Go on ahead. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Oliver answered, not looking away from Felicity. His fingers danced along her calf and Felicity resisted the urge to shiver at his touch.

“You’re not coming home again, are you?” Thea asked. Oliver’s hands stilled and he met Felicity’s eyes. She straightened in her stool, dropping her feet to the ground.

“I’m going to just make sure the system is backing up properly,” Felicity said and slipped her shoes back on. She nearly groaned at the pain of being back in heels.

“You don’t have to go,” Oliver protested but Felicity shook her head. _No_ , _this is a conversation for you and your sister._ She was right and Oliver sighed. God, it was late.

“Thea, tonight was amazing. Congratulations,” Felicity said, squeezing her friend’s shoulder before disappearing into the club’s office.

“Thea,” Oliver began but she cut him off.

“You and mom are fighting,” she said and Oliver nodded. “It has to do with Felicity, doesn’t it?”

“In a way,” Oliver said.

“She doesn’t like her.”

“It’s not that she doesn’t like her, Thea,” Oliver tried to explain but Thea shook her head.

“No, don’t try to cover for her,” Thea said and turned away. She played with the keys to the club. Earlier, she felt so close to her mother and now Thea found she was angry at Moira for being so judgmental. She was, in a way, also angry at Oliver. She was missing something in all of this. She was certain of it just like she was certain that the one person she trusted to always tell her the lay of the land was holding something back. Thea wasn’t sure why it bothered her so much now. Since Oliver’s return, she always suspected he was holding something back. _Lots of somethings,_ Thea thought sourly.

“I’m not. Thea…Thea, look at me.”

Oliver waited until Thea lifted her head.

“This fight is between mom and me and has absolutely nothing to do with you. I know you and Felicity are quickly becoming friends but Felicity would be the first person to tell you that our mom is more important than our relationship with her.”

Thea frowned and Oliver saw a million questions starting to form in Thea’s head. Her first question, however, was entirely unexpected and reminded him of just how smart his little sister was.

“It has to do with Felicity’s kidnapping, doesn’t it?”

Guilt pricked Oliver’s conscience at what he was about to do and a sense of empathy for his mother filled him. God help him, he was going to lie to Thea. It wasn’t that unusual, since he often had to cover for his alter ego, but this was a lie about their parents and it was something he swore he would never do. His mother was right though. The Cadre was dangerous and if hiding the truth about the involvement of their parents protected Thea, then so be it.

“In a way. She thinks I’m in danger. I disagree. So we fight about my continued relationship with Felicity,” Oliver managed a nonchalant shrug as he stood. “That’s about it. Don’t let my fight with mom destroy the progress you’ve made in your relationship with her. It’s separate from you. It will blow over, you’ll see.”

“She hasn’t asked me to not be friends with her,” Thea pointed out.

“It’s different. You’re not alone with her in the way I am….” Oliver explained without going into detail.

“What about the break in?”

“What about it?”

“I feel like there’s something missing. Something Mom didn’t tell the police,” Thea explained and Oliver rubbed the back of his neck.

“I don’t know, Thea. I wasn’t there,” he lied again and he felt sick to his stomach. Thea didn’t say anything for a moment, the expression on her face inscrutable. She didn’t press though, and for that Oliver was grateful. Instead, she glanced at her phone. Smothering a yawn, Thea let the matter drop. She was too tired to push. For now.

“I’m beat. I’m going to grab my coat and head home. Lock up when you and Felicity leave,” Thea said and headed for the office.

“Thea?”

“Yeah?”

“What you created tonight was unforgettable. Tonight’s success was entirely due to you, your ideas, and your instinctive grasp at what the city needs. I’m proud of you.”

Oliver saw tears fill Thea’s eyes and he pulled her into his arms for a hug.

“Does this mean I get a raise?” she mumbled into his chest and he laughed.

“Brat. Not a chance.”

Thea laughed and shoved him. She walked away, throwing a kiss over her shoulder. Oliver heard her and Felicity talking and then laughter. He stood by the bar as his sister came out of the office, Felicity behind her. The women hugged and after a wave in his direction, Thea disappeared toward the delivery entrance of the club. Felicity walked over and slipped her arms around his waist.

“Everything okay?” she asked with concern. Oliver sighed and just shook his head, pulling Felicity close. He closed his eyes and buried his face in the crook of Felicity’s neck. His hands roamed across her back and she sighed against his touch. As his fingers met skin, he was reminded of his earlier promise and desire for her flooded through him. He was surprised by the sudden ferocity of his need. It hit him so unexpectedly. Like tonight, when she first walked in. The way she moved, unconsciously seductive, luring him in with how every step she took. The confidence she exuded when she met his eyes, and how she hid nothing from him or anyone watching. It took all his willpower not to drag her into the office or the lair. He needed to touch her, to be inside her, to possess her. He wanted to seduce her, right here, right now. She deserved to be seduced. Every. Single. Time. She deserved to be seduced. They were alone, the club dark and quiet. He took a small step back, and ran a finger from her shoulder down her arm. Her eyes darkened and she licked her lips.

“This dress,” he murmured, his eyes following the movement of her tongue as she licked her lips again, “has been driving me nuts all night.”

“Really? Is this the part where I remind you to tell me about how much you like my dress?” Felicity teased, her fingertips caressing his neck.

“Mmhmmm…….all night, I’ve been watching this dress…..the way it moves around your legs,” Oliver whispered, his hand slipping down her hip, gathering the skirt in his hand as he pulled it up to caress the curve of her ass.  He didn’t want to take the chance of Thea coming back or for that matter, Tommy, so he began walking her towards the hidden door to the lair. Felicity’s legs trembled as she followed Oliver’s lead. Arousal bloomed between her legs and she blushed at how fast she was ready to feel him inside her. She wanted the thickness, his length, the way he filled her so completely. Her face grew flushed at the memory of how he felt.

“And then there is this, the way it leaves your back exposed,” he continued, dropping the swath of fabric he held to splay his hands across her back. His fingers kneaded the muscles of her back and she swallowed back a moan. They reached the hidden entrance and he quickly keyed in the code. He turned so that he walked down the steps backwards. She followed him, staying close. His hands rose to her shoulders, his thumb caressing the hollow of her collarbone. 

“And then there is this, the way it perfectly frames your gorgeous breasts” he repeated as they reached the bottom of the stairs, their lips just a hair breadth apart. He drew his finger down between her breasts and then over the exposed swell on each side. Felicity’s breath caught at the sensation.

“Oliver,” she whispered and again touched her tongue to her bottom lip. In an instant, his mouth covered hers and their tongues met, tasting and seeking. Their lips fused together and he lifted her up in one smooth move. She never had the chance to wrap her legs around him before he was setting her gently on one of the metal tables in the lair. Felicity gasped at the coldness against her skin, but it was quickly forgotten as Oliver’s hand swept up beneath her skirt. He tugged at the lace of her thong, and she lifted her hips as he pulled them down. There was a frantic feel to his kisses and the way his hands roamed over her body. It fed Felicity’s desire and her own movements became frantic as she tugged at his shirt, pulling it from his waistband. Her hands cupped him through the material of his pants and he breathed in sharply.

“I’m sorry…too fast. I’m always rushing,” he whispered as pushed up her skirt and fingered her slick folds. She arched against him.

“Don’t slow down. I like it fast.”

He pushed a finger inside her and she cried out. Her hips moved against his hand and she fell back on her elbows as he added another finger.

“Oliver….”

Felicity suddenly sat up and unfastened Oliver’s pants. She pulled his cock out, rubbing the length. Scooting to the edge of the table, she pulled him towards her. He leaned over her, gripping the edge of the table as she squirmed beneath him.

“Too fast….”

“I’m ready.”

He could feel how ready she was as she rubbed the tip of his penis against her entrance. He could smell it and it made his hunger even more acute. He pinned her squirming hips with one hand and paused, listening to their harsh breathing in the silence of the lair. Her hand squeezed him, jerking once and then again. He couldn’t wait. Removing her hand, he lifted her hips and began pushing inside her. She sighed, her legs falling wider as she brought up her knees. Oliver’s head dropped at the sensation of being inside Felicity and he surged forward, burying himself to the hilt. She groaned in pleasure and arched against him. As one, they began moving, straining against the other. Felicity clutched at Oliver’s arms as his thrusts pushed her across the table. Glass flew of the table and crashed to the floor. Oliver’s hands came to her waist and brought her back to the edge of the table.

“Oh, God…Oh, God…..harder, please, harder.”

Oliver increased his tempo, his hips hammering against Felicity. He could feel his muscles tightening and knew he was close. At that exact moment, Felicity’s walls tensed around him and began to squeeze and she screamed her release. He followed her, shouting as he came hard inside her. He slumped over her, his head on her chest.  Her hands came up to clutch his head.

“Jesus Christ,” he mumbled and he felt Felicity’s hand weakly run through his hair before falling to the table. He kissed the skin of her breast, his hand coming up to gently massage it through the fabric of her dress.

“Not exactly what I had in mind for this table,” Felicity murmured as she moved her hips beneath Oliver’s. Aftershocks of pleasure coursed through them both and Oliver smiled.

“It held up well,” he observed and they laughed quietly together, neither moving.

“God, I love you,” he suddenly said and Felicity paused. She looked up at him, concern touching the corner of her eyes.

“Are you okay?”

Oliver nodded, resting his head against hers. He pushed thoughts of Tommy, his family, the Cadre and everything associated with the Green Arrow to the back of his mind. He focused on the woman beneath him and the feel of her in his arms.

“I just really needed you tonight.”

“I’m here.”

Felicity pulled him close, holding him tightly. Oliver lifted her from the table to hold her against him. He needed to possess her, but in the end, she possessed him. His arms tightened around her. Danger was coming. He could feel it drawing closer every day. He would protect her, even if it meant giving up his life to save hers. 

* * *

Felicity waited in the living room of the Queen Manor, arms crossed around her middle as she stood by French doors that led out to a stone patio. An immaculate lawn beckoned to her, the late afternoon sun spilling across the expanse.  She suddenly had the insane desire to shed her shoes and walk barefoot towards the line of trees in the distance. _To escape. Run. Get away._ Felicity could just imagine the look on Moira Queen’s face if she found Felicity running across her lawn. Barefoot. _Get a grip_ , she lectured herself. Oliver was supposed to be upstairs packing a bag to take to her place. Knowing him, however, he was likely packed and standing at the door to his bedroom, waiting for the slightest sound that she was in danger. Since they woke late this morning, he argued against her speaking with Moira. They were in the kitchen fixing a late lunch when Felicity finally had enough. After throwing a pot holder at him, she disappeared into the bathroom and locked the door to take a long hot bath. When she came out, dressed and ready to go, Oliver didn’t say a word. Instead, he handed her a cup of soup. He then attempted to give her instructions on how to have this conversation as well as various scenarios where she needed to immediately call for him. Felicity listened for all of twenty seconds, before grabbing her iPod from her bag and putting in her earbuds. She refused to take them out and even wore them during the entire drive, ignoring the looks Oliver kept shooting her way.

The sound of heels on the marble floors had Felicity turning just as Moira walked through the door. Felicity pushed back the nervous energy that filled her and dropped her arms to her side. She didn’t speak. She would not make this easy on Moira. The women stared at each other evenly until finally Moira moved. Felicity considered it a small victory as Moira’s hands fluttered. Moira coughed, clasping her hands in front of her.

“Miss Smoak,” Moira said, nodding her head in greeting.  She was on the defensive and from the way she was holding herself so stiffly, Felicity knew that Moira was quite aware that she wasn't in complete control.  Good.  It would make it easier for Felicity if Moira wasn't....well, completely Moira Queen.

“Mrs. Queen,” Felicity replied and fell silent. Felicity noted the deep circles Moira attempted to hide with concealer and the small lines of exhaustion around her eyes and mouth. There was a deep sadness in her eyes and reluctantly, Felicity felt pity. She pushed the feeling aside, reminding herself that Moira had a role in her kidnapping. She didn’t deserve pity.  Again, it was Moira that spoke first.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know –

“We don’t have much time,” Felicity interrupted. “Oliver is upstairs. He’s packing. A bag.”

“He’s packing?” Moira repeated, glancing over her shoulder toward the entry hall.

“Yes. He’s staying with me…or living with me…..anyway, he’s packing.”

“You said that,” Moira said. She came further into the room, stopping at one of the couches. “He’s packing a bag.”

“Yes,” Felicity said and bit her tongue before she continued to babble about the packing.

“A bag?” Moira said again before she could stop herself. Felicity felt an urge to giggle that Moira apparently developed a habit of babbling.  Felicity focused on what she needed to do.

“I wanted to speak with you before Oliver came back downstairs.”

“I won’t speak to you about your kidnapping,” Moira immediately said and at her tone, Felicity’s back went up. She met Moira’s icy expression with one of her own.

“I don’t need you to speak to me about my kidnapping. I was there. I experienced it.”

“Then why are we speaking? You were quite clear the other day in that I was never to speak to you.”

“You have information vital to the Green Arrow. It’s easier for me to approach you at any time vice him waiting for the right time.”

At Felicity’s words, Moira paled. She looked over her shoulder again, making sure neither Thea nor Oliver were in the vicinity.

“This is not the right time. How dare you?” Moira hissed in a voice just above a whisper.

“I dare because you changed my life the moment you turned me over to the Cadre. I dare because I’m taking back my life. And because talking to me will be easier on you than the Green Arrow. He’s not as nice as I am.”

With every word, Felicity’s voice grew stronger, harder. She advanced on Moira until she stood a pace away from her. She didn’t flinch when meeting Moira’s eyes. She didn’t fidget. Felicity stood before her, equal to Moira in every sense of the word. Those stirrings of respect Moira often felt for Felicity returned, solidifying. This wasn’t a woman that Moira could send cowering for cover with words or one piercing glance.   Not anymore.

“How much does Oliver know of your involvement with the Green Arrow?” Moira suddenly asked. Felicity gave her a wary look but shrugged in response.

“He knows I’m helping him,” she replied evasively. Funny. She had no qualms lying to Moira about the Green Arrow. Not a one. 

“At one point, I thought Oliver was…that perhaps the island had….” Moira’s voice trailed off for a moment. “Never mind. Obviously I was wrong.”

Felicity surprise at what Moira had come so close to figuring out turned to relief that Diggle and Oliver’s ruse convinced Moira that Oliver was not the Green Arrow. The idea that a member of the Cadre, even if that member was Moira Queen, knew the Green Arrow’s identity was harrowing. While the Green Arrow always had a target on his back, Oliver Queen was free to roam the city. If the Cadre were to know, if somehow because Moira knew _they_ would also know….Felicity’s palms grew clammy at the thought.

“I need to know,” Moira was saying, “that if I help the Green Arrow….if I betray the Cadre, a group that makes no qualms about threatening the lives of those nearest and dearest to its members…..that he will protect Oliver and Thea.”

“I can guarantee it,” Felicity replied promptly. Moira studied Felicity for a moment and then nodded.

“What does he need to know?”

“Everything?” Felicity said sarcastically and Moira gave a harsh laugh. “But for right now, we need to know what is going on with the truck depot in the Glades.”

“It’s been converted into a temporary drug manufacturing plant.”

“Haze?” Felicity immediately asked, her mind working quickly.

“Yes. Our original plan was to manufacture the drug outside of Starling City. Overseas actually. Only, Oliver….well, his thorough review of a plan to purchase a small foreign pharmaceutical company caused the Cadre to re-evaluate.”

“Why drugs? To what end?”

At that moment, both Felicity and Moira heard footsteps on the stairs. _Oliver,_ Felicity thought and cursed. _It’s too soon. Of course he couldn’t just wait._ She sighed in exasperation.

“I want to meet with the Green Arrow,” Moira demanded, her words coming quickly as they heard Oliver setting his bag by the door. Keys jingled as he picked them up from the table in the foyer.

“Felicity?” he called out. Felicity moved to walk around Moira, but the other woman grabbed her wrist.

“In two days, another ship is coming in. The cargo has been kept from all members of the Cadre. Tell him. I will meet him in the warehouse after the ship is unloaded.”

Felicity nodded and Moira released her just as Oliver entered the living room.

“Mom.”

“Oliver. I understand you were packing?” Moira said smoothly, her voice and expression entirely composed. _Wow,_ Felicity thought, _she’s really good at this._

“Yes. I’ll be staying with Felicity,” Oliver replied, taking Felicity’s hand in his. She squeezed his hand reassuringly, letting him know she was fine.

“For how long?”

“Indefinitely,” Felicity replied and then promptly blushed at the look Moira gave her. She mentally sighed. _I can handle a conversation filled with conspiracies and intrigue but can’t handle a simple conversation about living arrangements._ Oliver only smiled, pulling her closer.

“I see,” Moira said, crossing her arms in front of her. “Oliver—”

“Not yet, Mom.”

“When?”

“I don’t know.”

Oliver turned to leave and Felicity followed him out. As they walked out the door, Felicity glanced back over her shoulder to find Moira staring after him. The women exchanged a long look, a silent understanding forming between them. They nodded at each other. They would never have a normal relationship, if one at all even when this was all over, but there was one thing they shared in common. Someone they would do anything to protect. Oliver. 

* * *

Moira entered the study where she had left Malcolm with a drink.  He had only been her a few minutes with instruction from Tommy when the housekeeper informed her that Miss Smoak was in the living room requesting a word.

“Is it done?” he asked, rising to his feet as she entered.

“Yes,” Moira replied.

“Good.”

“What will you do to him?”

“When the Green Arrow arrives at the warehouse, he will be eliminated.”

“And Miss Smoak?”

“She’ll be taken care of when she arrives after you call her for help.”

Moira nodded, her fingers lifting to toy with the string of pearls around her neck. It was a betrayal of her inner anxiety but she was far too nervous to care.

“And Oliver?”

“Spared.”

Moira nodded and turned her back on Malcolm. She felt the heaviness of his stare before he finally left without speaking another word. She was still in shock at Tommy’s instructions and it had taken all of her willpower not to betray her feelings to Felicity. Tommy was threatening Oliver. Tommy….she was so certain that Tommy would never do anything to hurt Oliver. Despite Tommy's increasingly erratic behavior, this was the one thing she was certain of.  Malcolm destroyed that certainty upon his arrival. Her son’s life for the Green Arrow. Her son’s life for Felicity’s. It was up to her to lure both of them in. She didn’t know if Tommy would really harm Oliver, but Moira wasn’t taking any chances. Oliver would never forgive her. But he would be alive. She closed her eyes against the ache in her heart.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity has another encounter with Tommy; Oliver meets his mother as the Green Arrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for all the feedback and DM convos!
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

The conference room emptied leaving Oliver and Moira at the table. Neither moved. The board just voted to decline the purchase of the small Chinese pharmaceutical company. They did so, in large part, due to Oliver’s recommendation. Isabel was particularly upset, storming out as soon as the vote was complete. She threw Moira a pointed look before leaving and Moira knew that she was likely on the phone with Malcom at this very instant. Moira glanced at her watch and saw that it wasn’t even eight in the morning yet. She was so tired. So very tired. She pinched the bridge of her nose and then finally looked at Oliver.

“That was quick,” she said quietly and Oliver shrugged.

“It was a terrible deal. There was absolutely no benefit to QC,” he replied without looking at her. He began placing his briefing papers inside a folder.

“I know,” Moira replied.

“Then why?”

Moira simply looked at him and he nodded. He really didn’t need her to tell him why. The Cadre.

“Oliver….”

“This isn’t the place, Mom.”

A spark of anger towards Oliver ignited in Moira. It was so long since she felt anger without fear that she almost didn’t recognize it. She latched onto it, letting her frustration with Oliver’s refusal to speak to her, to work this out, spill over.

“It’s never the place….or the time. ‘Not right now, Mom’ is all you ever say. When will you speak to me? No one is going to interrupt us. This room is as private as our home. So when, Oliver? When will it be a good time for you to have a conversation with your mother?”

Oliver didn’t say anything. He stood up and headed for the door. Moira slammed her hand on the table, the force of it leaving her hand stinging. She ignored the pain, her attention completely on Oliver’s back.

“Oliver Queen! I raised you better than this. I raised you to respect your parents.”

Oliver turned around and gave his mother an incredulous look. He laughed as he held his hands out to the side.

“You want to speak to me about respect? You? I can’t begin to tell you how rich that sounds coming from you. Let’s talk about your respect…or lack thereof….for human life. How about that, Mom? You want to talk so much, let’s talk about that.”

“That’s not fair, Oliver. I made decisions to protect you. Protect Thea. Difficult and painful decisions but not once did I put myself above anyone else. It was always for you and your sister.   Our family. Grow up, Oliver! There are things parents do for their children and damn the consequences!”

“Grow up? Grow up?!? What do you think I did on that goddamn island? Sit around and talk to a volleyball? I survived….No, what’s not fair is you deciding that another life is worth sacrificing in my name. In Thea’s name. That is ego…. _that_ is a galling amount of self-inflated importance.”

“One day you, when you have a child, you will do the same,” Moira repeated.

“At the expense of someone else’s child? God, I hope not. I hope I find another way to protect my child.”

“There was no other way!” Moira shouted, jerking to her feet. “The Cadre had already killed your father. My mistake, losing that damn book, put you and Thea at risk.”

“You didn’t even know if she had it,” Oliver shouted back, throwing his folder back onto the table. _And here was the crux of the matter,_ Moira thought. _It always comes back to Felicity Smoak._

“It didn’t matter, at least not to the Cadre. Her employment record, out of everyone that had been in my office that day, identified her as the most likely person to have taken it.”

“You tortured an innocent woman and that doesn’t bother you? It doesn’t bother you that she was nearly killed?”

“We couldn’t take the chance that she would reveal what she knew or potentially discovered. And tell me Oliver, if this was someone other than Felicity Smoak, would you be just as outraged?”

Oliver stared at his mother, wondering when she would cease taking him by surprise. How had he missed this side of her? Was he that blinded simply because it was family? What else was he missing because of his own blind spots?

“Have you found your book?” Oliver asked suddenly and Moira shook her head. He nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets as he moved to stare out the conference room windows. There was no point in waiting.

“I have Dad’s book.”

Moira looked at Oliver in surprise and fear flashed across her face. She was across the room in a flash, her hand latching onto to Oliver’s arm in a surprisingly strong grip. Her fingers dug into his arm.

“Burn it. Throw it away,” she urged, her voice shaking in fear. “Don’t try to read it.”

“Too late,” Oliver replied and Moira flinched. “Explain it to me.”

“I can’t,” she whispered.

“And you wonder why I don’t want to speak to you,” Oliver replied sarcastically. “You refuse to answer any questions, provide any details and instead beg for forgiveness without giving me a reason why I should even think about forgiving you.”

“I am your mother. That is the only reason you need.”

“No, not this time.”

“Oliver, in your entire life I have stood by you through every mistake you made. I made a mistake!”

“A mistake? I’m thinking I haven’t even begun to scrape the surface of the number of mistakes you’ve made over the years.”

Mother and son faced off, no closer to a resolution, or even an understanding.

“Who are the Cadre?” Oliver asked. Moira remained silent. Until the elimination of the Green Arrow and Miss Smoak, his life remained on the line. Their death would save his life but only if he remained in the dark about the Cadre and as long as Tommy didn’t know Oliver knew of their existence.

“No,” Moira said, returning back to the head of the conference table. “Your life remains safe so long as the Cadre doesn’t know that you are aware of their existence. I intend to keep it that way.”

“You can’t stop me from digging on my own.”

“You would risk Thea’s life? Miss Smoak’s?”

Oliver’s eyes narrowed at the veiled threat against Felicity. He picked up his folder from the table and prepared to leave.

“I think she’s proven that she doesn’t know anything about the Cadre. Weeks of torture should have convinced your ‘friends’ of that.”

“She’s working with the Green Arrow. She knows more than she’s telling you. Even if she didn’t, her helping the Green Arrow is enough for her to remain a target.”

In the blink of an eye, Oliver was in Moira’s face. She flinched at the hard look in his eyes, the cold expression that pierced her heart. The anger directed towards her burned brightly in his eyes.

“So help me God, if anything happens to Felicity, we are done. Do you hear me? We. Are. Done.”

Oliver stared at his mother a moment longer, pushing away the guilt he felt at the fear that flickered through his mother’s eyes. Fear of him. He spun on his heel and left her behind, his emotions raw and ugly.  As he stepped into the elevator, he hit the button for the IT floor. He was about to enter the IT Department when his phone beeped. He saw it was a text from Felicity, telling him she was taking the day to prepare for tonight. Sighing, he sent her a quick text back and headed back to his own office. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Moira watched her son disappear into an elevator, her heart heavy with grief. Her phone buzzed and looking down she saw Malcolm’s name. She took a moment to collect herself before answering.

“Yes, Malcolm?”

“I understand the vote went poorly.”

“Yes.”

“This was your responsibility.”

“No, Malcolm, I was only providing the capital. Or rather, QC was providing the capital.   It was Isabel’s job to sell the acquisition. The Cadre was fully aware that this was not an acquisition that I could perform unilaterally and it was you who insisted I hire Isabel to lead this particular project. She failed.”

Malcolm didn’t say anything for a moment. When he did speak, it was on another topic.

“In regard to our other matter, are you ready?”

“I don’t have much choice, do I?” Moira replied and hung up. All of it was beyond her control.   She was complicit in the death of her husband, the kidnapping of an innocent woman and a federal agent, the death of thousands to come and all in the name of protecting her family. She believed there was no cost she wouldn’t pay to protect them. Now, she was afraid that the cost would be more than she could bear because while Oliver would be alive, she would be dead to him.

* * *

Tommy leaned against the outside wall of a storefront across the street from Starbucks. He watched traffic carefully, scrutinizing every SUV as it approached the corner by the cafe. Emboldened after his encounter with Felicity at the club, Tommy was feeling reckless. The idea that he unnerved her was exhilarating, a drug he wanted more of and the fact she had no idea why he affected her so made it all the more intoxicating. So here he was, shortly before eight in the morning, waiting for Felicity to make her usual weekday stop at Starbucks on her way to work. At last, a black SUV stopped at the corner, letting a passenger out. Felicity’s blonde ponytail swung around as she said something to her security detail. Tommy smiled in satisfaction as she closed the door, entering the Starbucks alone. _Perfect_ , he thought and he waited until the SUV pulled around the corner to park in front of the entrance before he crossed the street. A bell over the door rang as he entered and he grimaced. _Who even does that anymore,_ he wondered as he moved quickly out of sight from the baristas. There were only a few customers inside. _Perfect_ , Tommy thought again as he came up behind where Felicity waited for her drink.

“Good morning, Felicity,” Tommy murmured, leaning in to speak directly in her ear. She jumped and he was pleased to see her back stiffen, the color drain from her cheeks and the fine tremor in her hands that she tried so desperately to hide. She stepped away from him before turning around.

“Tommy,” she said with a carefully blank expression. Tommy wasn’t fooled. He could see she was unnerved and his high began. A small voice whispered in the back of his mind to be careful, but he squashed it. She couldn’t possibly know he was involved in her kidnapping. After all, she never saw him. He stayed well out of her line of vision, even when she was too far gone to know who was in the room.

“All alone?” he asked, pretending to be looking for Oliver.

“No,” she replied. “My security detail is just outside.”

Tommy eyed the hand she slipped into her pocket. _A panic button_ , he realized and the euphoria increased at the fear she instinctively felt in his presence. _Time to play_.

“You don’t like me, do you Felicity? In fact, I think you might actually _fear_ me.”

“I’m not afraid of you,” Felicity denied immediately and she forced herself to remove her hand from her pocket.

"Yes,” Tommy disagreed, taking a step towards her, closing the gap again. “Yes, you are.”

This time, she stood her ground and Tommy smiled. Despite his effort to look friendly, there was a cold edge to his smile and he saw her swallow thickly. Oh, this was going to be fun.

Felicity forced herself to breathe calmly, slowly. She counted each inhale, forcing herself to push through the panic that was clawing at her insides. She couldn’t afford to have a flashback right now. Not when she was so vulnerable.

“Did you need something, Tommy?”

“No…..actually, yes. Yes, I did.”

Felicity raised a brow in question and again, Tommy smiled. He didn’t even bother to pretend this time. There was no warmth in his smile, and his eyes were cold and watchful.

“The book you were reading…what did you say it was called?”

Felicity’s palms grew damp. No, not this again. Her head swam but she dug her fingernails into her palm. No, no, she would not lose it here. Not when she was alone. And certainly not in public. She focused on the pain of her nails digging into her palms.

“Felicity? The book?”

“Persuasion,” Felicity whispered, her face becoming paler at the way he placed emphasis on the word ‘book.’

“Yes, that’s right. About a woman who allows others influence her decisions. Is that right?”

“Yes…well not entirely….essentially….” Felicity stammered and Tommy laughed there was nothing friendly about his laughter either.

“Why do I make you so nervous?”

“You don’t,” Felicity immediately replied. She glanced desperately over to the barista to see if her drink was ready and saw that he was just now steaming the milk. She looked out the door to where her security team waited. She slipped her hand inside her pocket, fingering the panic button on her key chain. She took a step to just leave, but Tommy blocked her way.

“Oliver’s not here, Felicity. Let’s not pretend. You’re afraid of me.”

“I’m not afraid of you. I don’t know you.”

“We should change that. Get to know each other. After all, we are two of the most important people in Oliver’s life.”

“Is this you changing that?” Felicity asked sharply and Tommy gave her an appraising look.

“There she is….” Tommy whispered and smiled gently as her breath inhaled.

“What? What did you say?”

“Say?” he asked, pretending to be confused. “I didn’t say anything. Are you okay?”

“What do you want, Tommy?” Felicity said and shifted to make her way to the door. Again, Tommy blocked her way. Felicity looked over at the barista and saw him pouring milk into a cup.

“To get to know you. For Oliver. He’s my best friend. More a brother than a friend. He’s in love with you. So, I should try to get to know you. I thought we could talk persuasion,” Tommy answered, purposefully giving the word persuasion another meaning.

At Felicity’s look, Tommy gave her a smile that was all teeth. “The book? You know? Persuasion?”

“Why are you so interested in what I was reading?” she countered and Tommy gave her a look that bordered on pity.

“Felicity, relax. It’s just a book. Nothing bad ever happened because of a book.”

Felicity didn’t say anything and Tommy noticed that the look in her eyes had changed. There was a more calculating expression in her gaze.

“Felicity?”

“You’re awfully curious about that book, aren’t you?” Felicity asked suddenly, surprising Tommy with the challenge in her voice.

“Just trying to get to know you.”

Felicity nodded, clearly unconvinced. The barista called her name, and she gratefully took her drink from him.

“Books are interesting things…tools almost,” Felicity said, taking a tiny sip of her latter. This unease, the dread Tommy filled her with could no longer be ignored. There was a reason for it and whether Tommy realized it or not, he tipped his hand when he came to talk about a book. He knew. He was part of it and her acceptance of that had a sense of calm enveloping her. She moved left then quickly right to go around Tommy. He followed, suddenly uncertain.

“It’s amazing what you can learn from a book,” she continued as she left Starbucks. “They are almost mysterious until you begin to read them, crack the code…or story….they are telling. And if it’s a good story, you find yourself lost in them. In fact, it could be said that books hold the meaning to….well, everything. Wouldn’t you say, Tommy?”

She stepped outside and saw her security detail was already waiting with the passenger door open. She was about to step into the car when Tommy grabbed her arm in a punishing grip.

“Careful, Miss Smoak, I wouldn't want you to get hurt.”

Felicity didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. Her team surged forward at Tommy’s touch and with a laugh, he released her.

“She was about to slip. Be more careful. Mr. Queen won’t be pleased if she’s hurt.”

The man holding her door open gave a wary nod and shut her inside. As they drove away, Tommy couldn’t escape the fact that he just made a very grave error. He shrugged it off. She had no evidence.  Besides, it wouldn’t matter after tonight. Felicity Smoak and the Green Arrow would be two very dead liabilities.

* * *

Felicity bent forward certain she was going to vomit. She breathed in sharply, her head spinning and her stomach churning with nausea.

“Miss Smoak?”

“I’m fine,” she croaked, putting her coffee in one of the cup holders. “Just please. Start driving.”

“The office is just around the corner.”

“No! Just….no. Just drive, okay?”

The driver glanced in the rear view mirror, concerned.

“Should we call Mr. Queen?”

“No,” she said quickly. “I mean, I will. In a minute. I’m just….I’m not going to work. Okay? Just take me home.”

Breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth, Felicity pulled her phone out from her bag.   Scrolling through her contacts, she called the one person she knew who would listen to her despite her lack of evidence, the one person who would hear her out and whose love and friendship she wouldn’t lose by voicing her suspicions.

“I'm not going to work,” she immediately said. “I’m fine, but I’m not going to work. Can you meet me at my place?” She listened for a moment. “Yes. Twenty minutes.”

Felicity quickly called her supervisor and reported in sick. By the time she sent Oliver a text saying she was staying home to prep for tonight, the SUV was pulling up in front of her home.

“Would you like us to stay?” her driver asked and Felicity shook her head.

“No, it’s not necessary. Thank you.”

Felicity stepped out of the car and was inside, behind locked doors before they even had a chance to pull away from curb. Felicity immediately opened her tablet and began entering data. She paced back and forth as she did so, occasionally stopping to think as she began to revise her search program. The doorbell startled her and she took a look at the security monitor. She breathed a sigh of relief.

“That wasn’t twenty minutes,” she said in greeting and Diggle gave her a concerned look.

“You sounded upset.”

Felicity paced away from Diggle and resumed her path between her kitchen and living room.

“I am. I mean I’m not. I’m horrified, scared…at the same time, I’m not. I feel like I’ve cracked an important part of the code and if I’m right, it’s going to be horrible. Horrible. For Oliver. And once again, I’ll be the cause. But today, after what he said today, I can’t. I’ve ignored this feeling because he’s Oliver’s friend and I thought it was just me, my crazy. But it’s not. I’m sure it’s not. I won’t know for a bit, but I’m right. Just like I was right about Moira. I have to face it. He’s going to hate me and I love him so much but I can’t hide this.”

Felicity realized she was babbling when Diggle settled his hands on her shoulder and turned her to face him. She fell silent.

“Take a breath, Felicity.”

She nodded, her expression filled with apprehension. Yet, there was determination, too.

“Okay, I’m okay. I just need…..I need you to listen. Just listen.”

Diggle nodded and guided Felicity over to the couch. He settled her on one end while he sat in the chair across from her. She took a breath. Then another but once she began talking, the nervous energy returned. She immediately stood up and began pacing as she spoke. Diggle turned in his chair, watching her with concern.

“From the moment I met him, I felt a sense of unease. He knew things….things that he shouldn’t. I thought perhaps Oliver told him, but I’m pretty sure that he didn’t. I thought it was me, that because he was a stranger, I was, of course, apprehensive around him. But the feeling never went away. I kept thinking it was me. Refused to think it was him. He’s Oliver’s friend and wouldn’t Oliver know if his friend was evil? But then the other night at the club, he overheard me talking to Oliver about the book. He kept pressing me about what book I was talking about and I kind of lost it. His voice…but again, I pushed it away. I mean, he’s Oliver’s best friend. He couldn’t possibly be part of the Cadre. But then today, he cornered me in the Starbucks. To talk about the damn book.”

Diggle frowned as he realized who she was talking about. He stood up and stopped her as she began to pace away from him.

“Felicity, slow down! Slow down! Are you talking about Tommy Merlyn?”

She nodded and Diggle blew out a breath.

“He knows about the book?”

“No, he overheard me say I was late to the club opening because of the book and when he asked what book, I said it was Persuasion.”

“Persuasion?”

“Yes, Jane Austin.”

“So he doesn’t know about the book.”

“No, he definitely knows about the book.”

“Okay,” Diggle said, drawing the word out as he followed the path Felicity was leading him down. “Because he came to talk to you about the book. Only it wasn’t _the_ book but rather this other book?”

“Persuasion, only he didn’t mean it. He was mocking me. Saying things about how no harm ever came to someone because of a book. And then said he was there to try and get to know me, for Oliver.”

“Is it possible he really was there to try and get to know you?”

“I was on my way to work, Diggle. He ambushed me. I’m certain he was waiting for me outside. When the car pulled up, I felt like someone was watching me, but I didn’t see anyone or anything out of the ordinary. So, I chalked it up to having a flashback yesterday. Then suddenly he was there. How could he possibly know I would stop by at the coffee shop unless he knows my routine? And all he wanted to talk about was the damn book.”

“You know you’re not supposed to have a routine,” Diggle admonished, momentarily sidetracked.

“Never mind that…Diggle, he was taunting me and when I turned the tables on him, he slipped. He _slipped_. Tommy is part of the Cadre.” Felicity said with a note of hysteria in her voice.

Diggle closed his eyes at Felicity’s words. She was right. This was going to tear Oliver apart if she was right.

“Felicity….” Diggle began but she was already talking.

“I only have my instincts. I don’t have anything else. I modified my program again, but nothing has come up. It may not come up for hours. Diggle? Diggle, what do I do?”

Felicity’s phone beeped and she saw a text from Oliver saying he would meet her at the lair after work.

“Diggle?” she repeated.

“Give me a minute,” Diggle said. “I’ve been around Tommy Merlyn for the last five years, Felicity, and he does not exactly scream evil. He’s careless, selfish, and has next to no ambition. The Cadre is disciplined, focused. That is not Tommy. I’m going to need a minute to process what you’re saying.”

The fact that Diggle wasn’t just dismissing her instincts calmed Felicity. This is why she wanted to talk to him first. She needed to talk this out with someone that wasn’t too close to the issue and Oliver was definitely too close.

“It’s the perfect cover. Irresponsible playboy, a drunk.”

“Felicity….”

“Diggle, I had a flashback in the middle of the club on Friday night. A man’s voice whispering in my head, asking me about the book, over and over again. It’s Tommy’s voice. That’s why he unnerves me. That’s why I am,” Felicity swallowed, “afraid of him.”

“What else?”

“Nothing else…just the feeling I get whenever he’s around. Fear….and I’m guaranteed a nightmare after an encounter with him.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes….wait, no….when we first met, I was leaving work and my security detail was meeting me down in the lobby. He asked where my detail was. I never told him about having security. I thought perhaps Oliver did.”

“Maybe, but unlikely.”

“John, he’s involved. I know it. I _feel_ it.”

“Felicity, you are saying that Tommy Merlyn is responsible for your kidnapping.”

Felicity nodded, her eyes swimming with tears.

“I can’t prove it, Diggle. But I know I’m right. I feel it here. And here.” Felicity fisted one hand over heart, the other over her stomach. Her face was earnest, yet troubled. Diggle could see the conflict raging within Felicity. Despite her conviction, he could see the doubt that lingered. It just wasn’t strong enough for her to remain silent any longer.

“We need evidence,” Diggle said at last and Felicity’s eyes flew to his, tears escaping from her tight control.

“You believe me?”

Diggle took Felicity’s hand in his, and held it tightly. He looked her straight in the eye as he nodded.

“I believe you, Felicity.”

Relief swept over her face and she threw her arms around him. He thought she may have mumbled a thank you but wasn’t sure. He hugged her tight.

“We need evidence,” Diggle repeated, “and this evidence needs to be solid.   Oliver…..Felicity, this is going to be hard on him, probably harder than it was with Moira. You have to be prepared for him to take this badly. In some ways, Tommy is more important to him than Thea or his mother. This will devastate him.”

“I could lose him,” Felicity whispered and her heart clenched at the very idea. “It’s why I kept ignoring my instincts, why I refused to see what was right in front of me. I didn’t want to be the person to ruin his life. Again.”

“Oh, Felicity,” Diggle sighed. “Oliver loves you. Deeply. You’ve brought more light into his life in these last few months than anyone has since he came home. It’s that connection he has with you that has grounded him more than anything else has in five years, including Tommy. While Oliver was always present and living his ‘second chance’ at life, he wasn’t happy. Not like this. You. You make him happy. Believe in that. Hold onto that.”

“And tonight?”

“Business as usual,” Diggle decided. “Let’s get through tonight. Oliver needs to focus, and we need to give your program a chance to find something to connect Tommy to the Cadre.”

“I don’t like keeping this a secret.”

“We aren’t, not really. We will tell him tonight, after Oliver returns from meeting with Moira. We are just delaying for a bit.”

“You don’t really believe that, do you?”

“It’s the best we can do for right now, Felicity. Tonight is going to determine a great many things about the Cadre, about Moira and possibly about Tommy. Let’s keep focused on what we can control. In the meantime, I’m going to talk to Lyla and see what she remembers. She wasn’t there as long but perhaps he interrogated her as well.”

Felicity nodded, moving over to the patio doors to stare out into her tiny backyard. As Oliver and Diggle’s eyes and ears, she needed to focus as well; guiding them safely through this meeting so they came home unharmed. She couldn’t keep this from Oliver, not any longer. If she was right, and she knew, just as she knew with Moira, everything Oliver believed in since coming home was going to crumble around him and all because of her. Felicity closed her eyes.

* * *

Oliver could feel the tension in the lair as soon as he walked in. He hesitated a moment on the last step, observing Diggle and Felicity as they moved around, preparing for tonight. Felicity’s forehead was furrowed as she examined and tested the comms units but Oliver knew she wasn’t worried about the units functioning properly. Despite the thorough check, it was clear her thoughts were far away. Diggle kept shooting her concerned looks. Something was wrong.

“What's wrong?” he said and Felicity jumped, dropping the comms unit she held in her hand.

“Dammit, Oliver,” she exclaimed as she bent down, trying to find where the unit disappeared to. She saw it beneath her computer desk, and she swore again as she grabbed it. Oliver looked at Diggle and he just shook his head.

“Are you okay?” Oliver asked Felicity and she nodded, not looking up from the unit she was checking again. “Felicity?”

She raised her head with a sigh and Oliver could almost see her mentally counting to five. She turned to him and smiled. It was a troubled smile and Oliver frowned. She wasn’t okay. There was something troubling her deeply.

“I’m fine. I’m just….I’m fine.”

She was lying. He knew it and she knew he knew it.

“You’re not fine,” Oliver countered. “Something is clearly bothering you.”

“Oliver, please. Tonight is important. Let’s just get through this and I promise, when you come back, we will talk. But right now? You need to focus,” Felicity couldn’t completely lie to him. This was the best she could do under the circumstances. If he pushed, she wasn’t sure she could hold out.

They stared at each other and there was a plea in Felicity’s expression that Oliver couldn’t deny. Something was wrong, but he could wait.

“Okay,” he agreed. “But as soon as I’m back, okay?”

Felicity nodded and was about to turn away when Oliver pulled her into his embrace. She immediately melted into him, burrowing into his warmth. Oliver looked over Felicity’s head at Diggle, raising a brow in question and once again, Diggle shook his head. Oliver pressed a kiss to Felicity’s head and she sighed, only this time the sigh was one of contentment.   Her computer beeped and Felicity reluctantly lifted her head. Giving Oliver a kiss, she turned to see what the issue was and groaned.

“What is it?” Diggle asked as he pulled on his black leather jacket. He looked over her shoulder at the center monitor. A flashing “Access Denied” lit the screen.

“The satellites. A.R.G.U.S. improved their security and I’m having just a little trouble accessing their system. Actually, a lot of trouble. I’ve been attempting to access their systems for the last four hours.”

“What about video surveillance at the docks?” Oliver said. He removed his bow from its case and set it to the side. Pulling out the quiver, he began changing out the arrows.

“Already inside,” Felicity replied pointing to her other monitor.   “There don’t appear to be any cameras inside the storage depot, or if there are, they are standalone so I can’t access them. I could check to see if the images are being fed back to the server but there would be at least a 30 second delay in images and I don’t want to rely on that. I’ll keep working on the satellites.”

“Has my mother arrived?”

“No. The last of the dock workers just left about thirty minutes ago.”

Oliver nodded and then checked his quiver again. At the last minute, he added to smoke bomb arrows to his quiver. He lifted it, checking the weight. It was a bit heavier than normal, but not so much to impact his ability.

Grabbing his suit, he disappeared to the back to change. When he came out, Felicity was handing Diggle a comms unit. The two exchanged a look but didn’t speak. Whatever it was bothering Felicity, Diggle clearly knew about it. Felicity glanced at the monitors.

“Your mother just arrived and as far as I can tell from the dock cameras, she’s alone. I need those satellites…”

“Want me to call Lyla?” Diggle offered and Felicity shook her head.

“No. I don’t want Lyla to get in any type of trouble. Besides, I enjoy annoying her cybersecurity specialists.”

Diggle gave a faint smile. Felicity turned to Oliver, a comm unit in the palm of her hand. He took it from her, fitting it into his ear and then doing a quick check. He swung his quiver over his back and pulled on his mask. Flipping his hood up, he grabbed his bow.

“Bikes, van or both?” asked Diggle.

“Van. Bikes are too loud.”

Diggle nodded and after squeezing Felicity’s shoulder, he headed out. Felicity watched him go before turning back to Oliver.

“You’ll be careful,” she said and it was more a statement than a question. She traced the zipper on his jacket before looking up at him.

“It’s only my mother,” Oliver assured her.

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Felicity replied with a small laugh.

“I’ll be careful.”

Felicity leaned up and kissed Oliver. He slipped an arm around her waist, drawing her closer. Felicity’s fingers gripped the edge of his hood as she kissed him again. Drawing back, Felicity held up a small object and slipped it behind his other ear. He gave her a quizzical look.

“Back up comms unit. Just in case. It’s set to activate if the signal on your ear piece cuts out.”

“You’re really worried.”

Felicity didn’t say anything, just drew him back down for another kiss. They broke apart but neither move as they shared a long look until Oliver finally turned and left, leaving Felicity alone in the lair. She rubbed her head and turned back to her computers. She needed that satellite.

* * *

Oliver and Diggle arrived pulled to the side of the road to look down on the docks. They were approaching from across the water, using the small hill to their advantage. A single car was parked in front of the storage depot.

“That’s my mother’s car,” Oliver confirmed. “She must be inside.”

“She is. I watched her walk in as you were driving over,” Felicity said over comms. “I still can’t see inside.”

“Satellite?” asked Diggle as he scanned the area with binoculars.

“Not yet. Can we wait? I don’t like the idea of you going in without knowing exactly what is inside that building.”

“It’s my mother,” Oliver said again and he heard Felicity sigh.

“Yes, but she doesn’t know you’re her son. So right now, she’s a threat.”

“Felicity has a point, Oliver.”

“She wants the Green Arrow to protect her family. I can’t do that if I’m dead. She isn’t here to harm me. Right now, she needs me. I’m heading down to the storage depot,” Oliver replied. He looked over at Diggle who nodded reluctantly. They could both hear Felicity muttering something under her breath. The word ‘stubborn’ was clearly audible; otherwise neither could make out what she was saying. Oliver pulled up his hood and stepped out of the van. He would go the rest of the way on foot.

“Holding position here. I have a better view from above and will be able to spot anyone coming in on land or water,” Diggle said.

“I’m working on the satellites,” Felicity said. “Just give me five minutes.”

“You have until I get to the docks,” Oliver replied and disappeared down the side of the road. A minute later, Diggle saw an arrow fly across the water to the bow of a ship. In one smooth move, Oliver swung across the port to the ship, and then he landed lightly on the floating dock. It barely moved as he landed. Diggle scanned the area again as Oliver paused next to his mother’s car and looked around.

“Diggle?”

“Nothing.”

“Felicity?”

“I’m working on it.”

“I’m going in,” Oliver replied and Felicity grumbled. He walked towards the storage depot when movement to his right caught his attention. He turned, arrow notched and ready to fly. Nothing. He moved slowly towards the corner of the building.   Easing up to the corner, he whipped around, ready to fire. There was nothing there. A sense of disquiet filled him. He moved back towards the entrance and after taking another look around, slipped inside.

Moira stood in the center of the depot, hands in her pockets. She looked towards the door as it opened. There was a cautious expression on her face, and something akin to fear. Oliver remained in the shadows, hidden beneath the upper galley that encircled the depot. Large storage crates lined the length of the depot, leaving plenty of spots for people to hide. Looking up, Oliver saw more crates. He listened closely but heard no movement.

“Hello?” Moira called. “Is someone there?”

After another look around, Oliver stepped from the shadows. He walked towards Moira with slow measured steps, his senses on high alert. He activated the voice distorter.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Are you alone?”

“Oliver….”Diggle said in warning. “Something is not right.”

Oliver looked around the depot again. Nothing.

“Almost there…..” came Felicity’s voice. Oliver could hear the tension as she continued her attempts on the satellite.

“Yes,” Oliver lied. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes. Yes….I’m sorry,” Moira said and took a step back. Oliver frowned in confusion and Moira looked to the upper level of the depot. Oliver followed her gaze, but there was nothing. He could see a frown starting to form. At once, Oliver realized it was a trap. He lifted his bow, notched an arrow and turned in slow circle. He looked at his mother and took a step towards her.

“Yes! Got it!” Felicity exclaimed. “Other than you and Moira, the depot is empty of heat signatures.”

“Who are you looking for?” he demanded as he lowered the bow and returned the arrow to the quiver.

“There’s a car approaching from the Glades, coming towards the docks. It appears to heading straight for the depot. I’m coming in. Felicity?” Diggle threw the binoculars onto the passenger seat and put the van in gear. He began driving.

“I don’t understand –” Moira began but broke off at the sound of a car pulling up to the depot. Oliver’s head turned at the noise just as Felicity’s voice came over the comms.

“Three men, Oliver,” Felicity said her voice tense. “They are approaching the door. I can’t see their faces. They are avoiding the camera angles…Shit...”

“I’m sorry,” Moira said. “It was you for my children’s lives. I must protect my children.”

“Oh…oh my God. Diggle, where are you?”

“Coming around the bend.”

“Felicity,” Oliver said and Moira threw him a look of confusion but he ignored her.  He bent his head, pressing a hand to his ear. “Felicity, talk to me.”

“Oliver…..”

“Felicity. Talk. To. Me.”

“It’s Tommy. It’s Tommy. I’m sorry….”

Oliver’s eyes widened in shock and he stared at his mother as horror crashed over him. He didn’t hear anything else Felicity was saying. This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t happening. _This wasn’t happening._  There was no reason for his mother to involve Tommy. No reason at all.

“What is Mr. Merlyn doing here?” he said and Moira’s frown turned to one of surprise.

“I – I – I don’t know. He wasn’t supposed to be here. Just his men.”

There was a ringing in his ears and he shook his head to clear it. Denial swept through him. He shook his head again as he stared at his mother. Shock froze him in place. He could hear both Felicity and Diggle talking but their words weren’t registering. _His men? Tommy has men? Tommy is part of the Cadre?_ No, he must have misunderstood.

“Not Malcolm Merlyn. His son, Tommy Merlyn. Why is he here?” he shouted and Moira flinched.

“I told you. He’s not supposed to be here. I don’t know what’s happening,” Moira cried and Oliver hunched forward, his mind buzzing. He could hear Felicity’s voice talking in his ear.

“I’m sorry….I’m sorry…..”

“Felicity! Get it together! Now,” ordered Diggle he approached the depot. “Oliver, focus!”

The sound of hands clapping had Oliver slowly turning, disbelief coursing through him. His vision blurred as Tommy stepped forward.   Years of friendship crashed around him in wave after wave. He nearly staggered under the weight of it as Tommy’s cruel expression came into focus. Along with the gun he point right at Oliver. This wasn’t his friend. This was someone else.   He couldn’t breathe. There had to be an explanation, a rational explanation. Perhaps he was working with Moira to stop the Cadre. That had to be it. _Get it together, push through this…._ Oliver took several deep breaths and fell back on years of training. _Focus,_ he thought as he stared at the man he considered more a brother than a friend.

“Well done, Moira. Well done.”

Oliver jerked before becoming still again. _Focus_. Like a slideshow, images from the past flew across his mind. _Tommy and him as kids, hanging out at the pool, summers in Coast City…..the night Malcolm beat him, the year Tommy lived at Queen Manor. The first time he saw Tommy when he returned from the dead._ _Celebrating the success of the club. This wasn’t happening._ Oliver shook his head, trying to focus.

“The earpiece, if you please,” Tommy ordered. Oliver slowly complied, removing the earpiece from his ear. “Good. Moira?”

Moira walked up to Oliver and held her hand out. He dropped it into her hand and at Tommy’s gesture, Moira dropped it to the ground, crushing it with her heel. Oliver immediately felt the back-up unit vibrate. Felicity’s voice came from far away.

“Oliver, back up unit is online. It will be hard for you to hear me…still working on that…but I will be able to hear everything going on around you. God, Oliver….”

Oliver tuned her out. His full attention was on the man in front of him. A man he still didn’t recognize. He felt physically sick. _Focus_.

“Honestly, I’m a bit disappointed,” Tommy said. “This was far too easy.”

Oliver still didn’t, couldn’t, say anything and Tommy tsked, shaking his head in disappointment.

“Nothing to say? I’m going to enjoy this so much. Almost as much as I will enjoy killing Miss Smoak.”

At Tommy’s threat, Oliver’s fists curled and he took instinctively took a step toward Tommy.

“No…no…no,” Tommy said raising a gun at Oliver. “Stay right there. This is going to be really simple. I’m going to shoot you, Moira will call Miss Smoak for help, and then I’ll shoot Felicity.”

Oliver turned his head towards his mother. She recoiled at the menace in his expression. He turned back to Tommy. The threat on Felicity’s life brought Oliver focus he was seeking. His mind immediately recalled every moment Felicity was uncomfortable around Tommy. Somehow she knew and he immediately regretted not pushing her more when it came to her feelings about Tommy.

“She won’t come,” was all he said. Felicity’s voice crackled in his ear.

“Oliver, keep him talking. Diggle, stop the van. There are two men standing guard at the gates, which are now closed and locked. Oliver….”

“Copy all. Proceeding on foot. Two minutes,” Diggle interrupted.

“Oh, I think she will. After all, she owes you her life. You rescued her and for that, she will pretty much do anything for you. Tell me, is she sleeping with you as well as my best friend?”

Nausea curled at Tommy’s reference to him but Oliver remained silent, not rising to the bait as he waited for Diggle.

“Really, you are truly disappointing in person,” he sighed and then gestured to Moira. “Take his bow.”

Moira moved around front of Oliver and took his bow from him. She was turning to walk towards Tommy when Oliver spoke.

“Mom….” Oliver said in low voice that Tommy wouldn’t be able to hear. He barely moved his lips, keeping his gaze on Tommy who watched them closely. Moira’s head snapped around. She stared up, under the hood and he glanced down at her. His gazed flickered back to Tommy before settling on Moira again. “Mom….”

“Oh, my God,” Moira whispered as realization hit her. “Oh, my God!”

“Moira, step away,” Tommy snapped with suspicion. “Your cooperation is required until Miss Smoak is dead. That was the deal.”

And like that, Oliver understood; the Green Arrow’s life….Felicity’s life…..for his and Thea’s life. She did it again. Anger and disappointment flooded through him. Moira took a hesitant step back towards Tommy. Her mind was racing. She could fix this. She _would_ fix this.

“Perhaps –” Moira began but there was the sound of a scuffle and one of Tommy’s men raced into the depot. Tommy half turned, frowning at the interruption.

“Two guards down, the third not responding to attempts to reach him. Sir, we need to leave.”

Tommy turned back, lifting the gun higher. The barrel of the gun loomed and Tommy’s finger tightened on the trigger.

“We will but first…..” Tommy said and prepared to shoot the Green Arrow.

“No,” his mother cried out, turning to Tommy.

Oliver reached back for an arrow, grabbing his bow from his mother’s hand at the same time. He fired towards Tommy as he dove to the side. His mother screamed as the shot rang out, echoing through the depot. Oliver lifted his head from his position to see Tommy struggling to free himself. Oliver’s arrow was embedded into the door frame. He missed. But so did Tommy and Oliver let out a breath until he saw his mother. She was lying in a pool of blood.

Oliver scrambled to his feet and rushed over to his mother just as Tommy called out, confusion in his voice.

“Moira?”

Oliver fell to his knees, his hands going to the wound on his mother’s chest. _So much blood. Too much blood,_ he thought.

“Moira?”

Oliver looked up to see Tommy coming towards his mother. Rage filled him and he turned his head, spying his bow. He lunged for it just as Tommy’s guard kicked it away. The guard then swept a leg toward Oliver’s face, aiming at his jaw. At the last minute, Oliver blocked it, but the force was enough to have him sprawling backwards. He bounced up just in time to see the guard dragging Tommy out. The sound of tires squealing filled the air, along with gunshots. _Diggle_ , Oliver thought as he returned to his mother’s side. He pulled her into his arms just as Diggle came inside. He secured the door and turning, his heart sank in his chest. She was bleeding out. Her breathing rattled with every breath and blood spilled from her mouth.

“Oliver! Oliver! Diggle! Someone!”

“He’s fine, Felicity. We’re fine.”

“Mom,” Oliver whispered, turning off the voice distorter.   Moira tried to turn her head towards Oliver, but her strength was gone. Oliver’s hand cupped her cheek, turning her towards him.

She attempted to smile.

“It doesn’t hurt,” she said, her voice filled with wonder.

“Mom….”

“Issss okay, Oliver. Sorry….sssoo sorry…forgive....me.....”

“I’m sorry, too. I’m so sorry. I should have told you. We were always safe. All of us. You never needed to worry and I didn’t tell you.”

“Noooo…my fault. All of it. Proud. Love you…Thea….”

“Mom? Mom? Mom!”

“An ambulance is on the way,” Felicity said softly.

“It’s too late, Felicity. She’s gone,” Diggle answered and he came to kneel next to Oliver. He put a hand on his shoulder as Oliver rocked his mother, tears streaming down his face.

“Oliver, we have to go.”

There was no response from Oliver. In the distance, Diggle could hear the sirens of an ambulance growing closer. Police would be with them. They needed to go. He moved around front of Oliver.

“Let her go, Oliver.”

Oliver shook his head, clinging to his mother tighter.

“I did this…I killed her. I should have told her. She would never have been here.”

“No….no, you didn’t. Tommy did this and he will pay but you won’t be able to bring him down if we don’t get out of here. Let her go, Oliver.”

Oliver looked up at Diggle and reluctantly let Diggle help lay Moira gently on the ground. Diggle rose to his feet, pulling Oliver up with him.

“We have to go.”

“I can’t leave her.”

“We aren’t. The police and an ambulance are on the way. Oliver, you need to listen. We need to get out of sight. For now.” The urgency in Diggle’s voice penetrated some of the numbness seeping through Oliver. He nodded, following Diggle out. They made their way back to the van and returned to their earlier vantage point just as the ambulance and police cars swarmed into the area.

“Diggle,” came Felicity’s voice and Diggle watched as Oliver removed the back-up ear piece, shoving it in his pocket.

“He’s offline, Felicity.”

“I know. Police scanner just reported the victim’s name. Reporters are going to be all over this. I’m headed to Thea. Lyla is on the way with clothes.”

“I’ll tell him,” Diggle said, understanding what Felicity was doing.

Oliver stared down at the cluster of ambulances and police cars. Another ambulance pulled into the dock parking area, but it didn’t matter. It was too late. His mother was dead. _Dead. Shot by Tommy. My best friend, my brother, is a criminal mastermind_. Oliver fell to his knees and he pushed his hood back. She jumped in front of the bullet that was meant for him. She sacrificed her life so that he would live. She died to save him just as she planned to have his alter ego killed to save him and Thea. Thea. _Thea._ Oliver didn’t realize he said his sister’s name out until Diggle responded.

“Felicity is with her. She caught chatter that it was about to break and headed over to the house.”

Oliver nodded. A car pulled up and Oliver whipped around, bow ready. It was his car. He frowned when Lyla stepped out.

“Oliver, you need to change. Right now.”

Oliver looked at Diggle in confusion.

“You need to change, and go to the scene. Right now. Listen to me, you need to do this. Do you hear me? You need to be Oliver Queen right now.”

He nodded numbly and begin to strip. Lyla turned away, giving him privacy.

“Can he do this?”

“Yes,” Diggle replied. “He will. For Thea.”

“You okay?”

“No. I’m not. Felicity had doubts about Tommy. She shared them with me today and I decided we weren’t going to tell Oliver until she had evidence. This all could have gone down differently.”

“It’s not your fault, Johnny.”

“No. But I can’t help feel like it is. Were you at the lair?”

“Yes. I went straight to the lair to wait for you. And to be there when Felicity spoke to Oliver. Felicity immediately went into damage control, pulling out clothes, packing a bag and sending me here. She wants to make sure that Tommy has no suspicions that Oliver is the Green Arrow.”

Diggle sighed and Lyla laid a hand on Diggle’s arm in comfort. He put an arm around her, pulling her close. He kissed the top of her head. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that Oliver was dressed. He went over and took the bag from him. He placed it, along with Oliver’s bows and arrows into the back of the van.

“Oliver?”

Oliver looked at him.

“Oliver, we need to drive down there. I need you to be Oliver Queen. Thea needs you. She needs you to protect her.”

“I can’t pretend I don’t know.”

“You won’t have to. Going back there will be hard and it will make all of this more real than it already is. But you have to go back. You have to protect Thea. Do you hear me?”

Oliver nodded. Diggle handed Lyla the keys to the van, he followed Oliver, slipping into the driver’s seat of the car and into his role as Oliver Queen’s bodyguard. Diggle drove back towards the docks, his speed increasing until he had to hit the brakes with force, causing the tires to squeal and scaring several people into jumping out of his way. Diggle saw the gurney being guided into the depot and Oliver immediately exited the car, running towards the depot. A group of cops surged on him.

“Where is she?” he shouted and he wasn’t acting. He left her here alone and now he needed to see her. To let her know she wasn’t alone and that he loved her. “Where is she?”

“Mr. Queen….Mr. Queen…..” 

With a roar, he shoved them all away and just as he approached the doors, the gurney came out. The medics stopped as soon as they saw him. Oliver froze at the sight of the black bag. No one moved and Oliver took a hesitant step forward. When no one tried to stop him, he kept going. The medics stepped back and he unzipped the bag. His mother’s eyes were closed. But for the dried blood at the corner of her mouth, she appeared to be sleeping. He knew better. He had seen death a thousand times. He closed his eyes and bent down to kiss her forehead.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”

He stepped back and the medics carefully guided the gurney back to the waiting ambulance. Oliver shrugged off police efforts to talk to him. When he returned to the car, he stopped at Diggle’s side. He didn’t say anything for a moment. When he did, his voice was devoid of all emotion but one. Rage.

“I’m going to kill him.”

 

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of Moira's death, Oliver learns about Felicity's suspicions while dealing with Tommy's deception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! As always, thanks for all the feedback on my story. Whether in DM or here, I love chatting with everyone. Your thoughts and opinions mean the world! Happy reading!

* * *

Tommy’s hands shook as he poured himself a drink.  The bottle rattled against his glass and scotch splattered across the bar.  He tossed back what made it into the glass and poured himself another.  He killed Moira Queen.  He  _ killed _ Moira Queen.  He finished his drink, immediately refilling his glass.  The image of Moira lying on the ground flashed across his mind.  He squeezed his eyes shut but the image remained, growing more vivid.  The look of shock on her face as they stared at each other. There was no fear in her gaze.  Only triumph.  He hurled his glass across the room where it shattered into a thousand pieces against the marble fireplace.  Shards of glass winked up at him and he dropped to his knees.  He killed Moira Queen, the woman who raised him and protected him after his own mother died in a similar violent fashion.  Only this time, he was responsible for the violence.  His mind rebelled at the thought.  This wasn’t his fault.  She was dead because of the Green Arrow and Felicity Smoak.  Again, Moira’s face swam before his eyes and he groaned, remembering that first night at Queen Manor.  The night the Queens rescued him.

_ Moira came into the guest room, a tray in her hands.  He lay on his stomach, his back bandaged, burning with pain.  He could just make out a tall glass of chocolate milk and a plate of cookies on the tray, along with a small bowl and washcloth.  She set the tray by his bedside, and then began fussing with the sheets.  She made sure they didn’t move above his waist to rub against the bandages.  When she was done, she dipped the washcloth into the water and began wiping his face.  Tommy didn’t say anything, following her movements with his eyes.  Moira didn’t speak either as she cleaned the tears from his cheeks.  The washcloth was warm and smelled faintly of lavender.  Tommy closed his eyes.  His mother always smelled of lavender.  When he opened them, it was to find Moira quickly wiping a tear from her face.  She met his gaze and smiled softly.  Placing the washcloth on the tray, Moira picked up the chocolate milk and added a straw.  She sat on the floor, right by his bed and brought it to his lips.  He took a drink.  It was icy cold, just the way he liked it.  He took another and before he knew it, half the glass was gone. _

_ “Tommy,” Moira said softly as she set glass back on the tray.  She reached for the plate of cookies and broke one up.  She offered him a piece and he nodded.  Peanut butter chocolate chip, another favorite.  He closed his eyes, his heart aching.   _

_ “Tommy,” Moira said again and he opened his eyes.  “Would you like to stay with us?” _

_ “For how long?” he asked, afraid of the answer.  He was terrified that there would be limit and that he would find himself home as soon as his back healed. _

_ “Well, I think that’s up to you.  I would like you to stay for as long as you want.” _

_ “You would?” _

_ Moira nodded, offering him another bite of cookie.  He shook his head.  She offered the drink and he nodded.  They didn’t speak for a while.  When the milk was gone, Tommy sighed. _

_ “Mrs. Queen?” _

_ “Yes?” _

_ “Could I stay forever?” _

_ Moira smiled gently and brushed the hair from his face before laying her palm against his cheek. _

_ “I would like that very much.” _

Tommy felt tears tracking down his face.  She never once said he had to go home.  In the year that he lived with the Queens, not once did she or Robert say he had to go home.  It was always his decision.  He was one of theirs, never made to feel an outsider.   _ God, I killed Moira Queen.  The only mother I’ve really known. _  His memory of Moira from when he was a child warred with the hatred he felt towards her as a man.  The hatred that formed when he discovered the secret she kept from her family; a secret that she shared with his father and cost him his mother.  He wanted her destroyed, but not like this.  Not dead; just destroyed with Moira having lost everything.   _ Everything.   _ Now, she was dead.  By his hand.   _ What have I done?  _

Tires squealed in the driveway and Tommy quickly rose to his feet.  He dried his eyes, wiping all traces of tears from his face.  He moved back to the bar, quickly pouring himself another drink.  The door to the library flew open and his father came striding in.  His eyes took in the broken glass but fixated on Tommy immediately.

“What did you do?  What the fuck did you do?” he shouted at Tommy as he came around the bar.  He grabbed Tommy by the shirt collars and slammed him up against the wall.  Glasses and bottles fell from the bar as Malcolm turned Tommy and shoved Tommy away from the bar.  Malcolm grabbed him again, and put him on the floor.  Tommy felt the fear of his childhood creep into his mind.  He shook his head and shoved his father back, scrambling to his feet.  He wasn’t a child anymore.  He slammed his hands against his father’s chest, pushing him back.

“Get yourself under control!” Tommy ordered harshly, moving out of arm's reach as he straightened his jacket.  Malcolm gave a harsh laugh.

“Control?  Do you even know the meaning of that word?  Why the hell were you at the depot, Tommy?  We had a plan, why didn’t you stick to the plan?”

“I changed the plan because I can.”

“And as a result, you shot and killed Moira Queen!”

“The Green Arrow and Felicity Smoak killed Moira Queen!”

Malcolm gave Tommy an incredulous look.  “Is that how you’re trying to justify this?  She would never have been there had you not threatened Oliver and Thea.  She would be home, with her daughter.  You pulled that trigger, Tommy.  You killed Moira.  No one else.”

“She got in the way.  And he had help.  He was supposed to come alone!”

“Are you so stupid to think he would actually come alone?  Are you so stupid to think that he would not have once considered that this might be a trap?  Are you so stupid to believe that he didn’t have a contingency plan?”

“Stop calling me stupid!” Tommy whirled away from his father and paced over to the fireplace.  Glass crunched beneath his shoes as he paced.  The echo of his father calling him stupid and worthless for every mistake he made in the past mingled with the present.  His father never laid a hand on him after that night, but his words were more damaging than his belt.  Tommy’s pride wouldn’t allow him to return to the Queens permanently, but he often ran away there for days at time.  It was seeing Robert and Oliver together that would drive him back to his father.  Their relationship was one he envied, and one he never outgrew wishing he had until the day he discovered Moira and Malcom’s secret.  

“Oh, but it’s too easy,” Malcolm sneered. “Especially when your stupidity results in the death of one of the Cadre; the death of one of our most vital members.”

“Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!”

Tommy placed his hands on the mantel, squeezing the edge of the mantel tightly.  The cold marble bit into his palms and he welcomed the feeling.   _ Moira _ , he thought and grief threatened to bring him to tears again.  Tommy couldn’t recall whether he felt this much grief when he lost his mother.  He remembered a numbness; a cold numbness that spread through him. Confusion for days, even months, and then his father, a violent streak in him beginning to emerge with Tommy often the target.  It was the Queens that brought normalcy and a sense of belonging to Tommy’s life.  As an adult, after Oliver’s death, Tommy again spent more time at the Queen’s until he inadvertently discovered the role his own father played in his mother’s death, along with Moira.  That memory brought Tommy a semblance of control.

“What’s done is done,” Tommy said shortly.  “We need to focus on the next step.”

Malcolm poured himself a drink.

“Oliver,” he said and Tommy nodded.

“The Green Arrow has likely told Miss Smoak of your involvement by now.”

“Which she likely suspected,” admitted Tommy and Malcolm’s eyes narrowed.

“What are you talking about?”

“I had a conversation with Felicity earlier in the morning.  I’m quite sure she suspects I was involved in her kidnapping.  The Green Arrow was also wearing a comms unit.  I’m quite sure she was on the other end and I spoke before it was destroyed.”

The snap of Malcolm’s glass hitting the bar echoed in the room. 

“What is wrong with you?  You fucking moron, you stupid, fucking moron,” Malcolm hissed.  “I spent years planning the destruction of the Glades.  Years.  And in the space of a few months, you are destroying everything.”

“She was supposed to be dead! It wasn’t supposed to matter!”

“Your ego, Tommy, is going to destroy us all.”

Tommy didn’t reply, the truth of his father’s words hitting too close to home.  He stared into the cold fireplace, absently noting that the housekeeper failed to vacuum the ashes.  He closed his eyes.  

“Why don’t we table all the ways I fucked this up and focus on averting disaster.  If Felicity tells Oliver –”

“If?” Malcolm interrupted.  “Tommy, do you not understand the magnitude of what you’ve done?  She will tell him.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.  Maybe I can get to her first, threaten her or threaten to harm Oliver….”

“You tried that with Moira and look where we are now,” Malcolm point out.  “Have you spoken to Oliver tonight?”

“No.  I was going to send a text, but….”

“Call him. Now.”

Tommy pulled out his phone and called Oliver.  Just when he thought no one was going to answer, Oliver picked up.

“Oliver!  I just heard the news!  Jesus!  Are you okay? How’s Thea? What can I do?  God, I can’t believe this….”

Malcolm nodded approvingly at Tommy’s act.  Tommy listened intently to whatever Oliver was saying.

“Are you sure?  I’ll be home tomorrow but can come now.  Just tell me what you need,” Tommy replied and Malcolm frowned.

“I’m in Central City.  No, Dad sent me to check in on one of our holdings at the last minute after he was detained here on other matters.”  

Malcolm turned away as Tommy finished his conversation with Oliver, reluctantly impressed with Tommy’s quick thinking of providing an alibi, so to speak.  

“Okay.  I’ll stop by tomorrow……okay, then the next day…..God, Oliver, I’m so sorry……..Just call if you need anything.  Anything at all.”  Tommy hung up and shrugged his shoulders.  “He sounded like Oliver.  Obviously in shock and grieving, but he didn’t sound suspicious of me.”

“So perhaps Miss Smoak hasn’t told him yet.”

“Maybe,” Tommy replied, “but it’s only a matter of time until she does.”

“So the question is who will Oliver believe?  You or Miss Smoak?”

Tommy didn’t answer.  He couldn’t answer because he honestly didn’t know.

* * *

 

Felicity stirred as the door to Thea’s room opened slowly.  She blinked, not moving from the chair she was sleeping in as Oliver peeked into the room.  He didn’t see her, his focus solely on Thea.  A small lamp burned on Thea’s desk, the dim light playing across Thea’s tear stained cheeks.  Her breathing was deep with the occasional shudder, a remnant of her grief when she learned of Moira’s death.  Felicity watched as Oliver quietly approached Thea’s bed.  His hand ghosted across her cheek and Thea stirred.

“Ollie?”

“Shhhhh…..”

“Mom?”

“I’m sorry, Thea,” Oliver murmured, his voice heavy with grief.  Thea began crying again and Oliver sat on the edge of her bed and gathered her in his arms.  “I’m so sorry, Speedy.  I’m so sorry.  She’s gone.”

Felicity quietly rose from the chair, her movements catching Oliver’s attention.  He mouthed a thank you to her and she nodded.  Slipping out into the hallway, Felicity quietly closed the door, leaving Oliver to comfort his sister alone.  She rubbed a hand across her forehead, exhaustion pressing against her.   _ Coffee _ , she thought and headed downstairs, intent on finding the kitchen.  As she passed the library, she heard a low murmur and the sound of glasses being set out.  Opening the door, she found Diggle pouring two drinks while talking on his phone.  When he saw her, he reached for another glass.  Felicity didn’t say anything as she accepted the drink.  Diggle finished speaking to Lyla and then sat next to Felicity on the sofa, their shoulders rubbing.  She rested her head on his shoulder as he rolled his glass between the palms of his hands, his expression troubled. 

“How bad?” she asked and Diggle heaved a deep sigh.

“About what you’d expect.”

“How did you convince him to come home?”

“Thea.  He was ready to go straight to the Merlyn’s but I’m reminded him that we still didn’t know what the Cadres plan was and when that didn’t work, I told him Thea was waiting for him.  Needed him.”

Felicity nodded.  She took a sip of her drink, the whiskey burning a path down her throat to her stomach.  It pooled in her stomach, warming her.

“Do you think,” Felicity asked hesitantly, “that things would have turned out different if I told Oliver of my suspicions?  That maybe tonight would have played out differently?”

Diggle was silent for a long moment as he stared into his drink.  He thought about the night's events as he had a number of times in the last few hours.  He still couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that Tommy killed Moira Queen.  He shook his head.

“No, Felicity, I don’t.  You heard Moira, Tommy wasn’t supposed to be there.  She was surprised to see him.  Confused even.  So no, I don’t think it would have changed anything.”

“Perhaps if the idea that Tommy was involved was already there, in Oliver’s mind, regardless if he believed me or not, would have made a difference.”

“Felicity, this isn’t your fault.”

“But what if I had told Oliver about my encounter with Tommy at Starbucks? The things he said to me….the threats…..maybe that’s all the evidence I would have needed.”

“You saw Tommy today?  He threatened you?  And you didn’t tell me?”

Felicity looked up to find Oliver staring at them from the door.  His expression was remote as he stared at her and Diggle, giving nothing away.  She wasn’t sure how much he overheard but clearly it was enough.  There was no sign of the grief he displayed earlier with Thea.  He was cold and guarded.  Right now, he was very much Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow.

“How’s Thea?” asked Diggle in an attempt to distract Oliver.  It failed as Oliver was solely focused on the conversation he overheard.

“Asleep again.  What happened with Tommy today?” Oliver replied, directing the latter to Felicity.

“I-I ran into him at Starbucks this morning on my way to work.”

Oliver’s gaze sharpened as he realized that Felicity was actually on her way to work before texting him that she was staying home.  He recalled the tension in the lair before he headed out to meet his mother.  He looked at Diggle, who remained silent.  

“He said something, something that made you suspicious,” Oliver said, his mind beginning to put the pieces together.  “And you called Diggle.”

“Oliver –”

“You called Diggle and not me.  Why?”

“Because Tommy’s your best friend.  I needed to talk to someone objective,” Felicity replied quietly, holding Oliver’s stare.  

“You decided I wouldn’t be objective,” Oliver said and it wasn’t a question.  “Did he admit he was Cadre to you this morning?”

“No! Not in so many words.  It was what he did, what he said, the double meaning behind his words.  That, along with every encounter I ever had with him, drove me to stop ignoring my instincts and start searching for proof that he was involved.”

“We didn’t have any evidence,” Diggle added.  “Nothing.  Nothing tied him to the Cadre except for Felicity’s gut instinct. We wanted proof before bringing it to you.”

“You trusted Diggle to believe you.”

“No, I needed someone to objective to listen.  To tell me I was crazy or to tell me I was on to something.  He doubted me at first.”

“You didn’t trust me to believe you,” Oliver flatly said and Felicity shook her head slowly, the threads of the conversation escaping her grasp.  She tried to find the words to explain, to make him understand the enormity of her decision.

“It wasn’t that, Oliver!  I do trust you.  I just didn’t….”

“You didn’t trust me,” Oliver repeated without inflection.  He didn’t sound angry, or hurt.  He didn’t sound like anything.  Felicity shivered.  Diggle stepped in, using facts in an attempt to get Oliver to  _ see _ the why behind their decision to wait.

“Oliver, the last time Felicity brought you news like this, you didn’t believe her even with evidence.  It wasn’t until you heard it directly from your mother that you finally believed.  We wanted to make sure we had proof – something, anything – to connect Tommy.  So I decided we would wait.  Because even with proof, even  I didn’t know if you would be willing to believe.  We’re talking about Tommy Merlyn.”

“We decided,” Felicity correct softly.  Her mind was whirling at Oliver’s words of trust.  Her fear of losing him, of him not believing her, informed her decision earlier today.  Her fear…those never ending fears that festered inside her no matter how hard she worked to conquer it…..but it was more than that.  She didn’t trust herself.  From the moment she met Tommy, she doubted her instincts.  No matter the training she received from Diggle and Oliver, their mantra to trust her instincts, when it came to Tommy she still doubted.  Her lack of trust in her instincts had her doubting her relationship with Oliver.  She doubted them and for that, she was wrong.  She could see what she was missing in Oliver’s expression.  Buried underneath the control, _was_ anger and hurt.  Oliver buried it so far beneath the surface, Felicity could just barely see it.  He was hurt that she didn’t tell him. His next words confirmed her very thoughts.

“You should have told me.  After everything we’ve been through, how far we’ve come…..you should have told me.  You doubted me.  You doubted us,” Oliver replied.  There was no heat in his voice but this time, Felicity caught the slight inflection, the flash of his eyes.  He was right but at the same time, she was also right.  He needed to see that, understand that.

“You’re right.  I should have told you.  I do trust you. You have to believe that.  And yes, I doubted myself and us.  I only ask that you consider that this was Tommy we were talking about.   _ Tommy _ .  The person you were trying so hard for me to feel comfortable around.   The one person, other than Thea, that was separate from all of this…..So yes, you’re right.  I should have told you.  Only you need to understand why I didn’t, Oliver.  That’s just as important.  You can’t look at this from a fixed position.  There are too many facets,” Felicity implored while keeping her voice even.  

Oliver didn’t say anything.  He just stared down at Felicity for a moment before shoving his hands in his pocket.  He wandered over to the windows and stared out into the night.  

“Oliver?”

He didn’t respond and when he did, it wasn’t about them but Tommy.  

“Have you uncovered anything linking Tommy to the Cadre?” Oliver asked as he continued to stare out into the night.  Glancing at Diggle, Felicity followed Oliver’s lead, tabling her decision to not tell him about her suspicions.  For now.

“No,” Felicity answered.  “Not directly.  Thus far, most everything points directly to Malcolm’s involvement. My program is currently filtering through data from the year you disappeared.”

“And if you don’t?”

“There is always a trail,” Felicity said with quiet conviction. “It may be something small, easily missed if you didn’t know what you were looking for.  We do. We’ll see it.”

“He must be the one in charge,” Oliver mused, recalling the way his mother reacted when he asked why Tommy was at the docks.

“What makes you say that?” asked Diggle.

“My mother was frightened of him. It was why I revealed myself to her, to try to reassure that she was safe.  I wanted her to feel safe.  Instead, she died because of it.”

Silence settled heavily across the room.  Oliver’s feelings of guilt hung in the air and Felicity saw the rigid control that he was currently exerting over his emotions.  The tic in his jaw pulsed rapidly and the hands he still hid in his pockets were tightly clenched.  He was angry and grieving and on top of that, blaming himself for Moira’s death.  Felicity set her glass on the table in front of her.  Diggle placed a hand on her arm as she stood and she reassured him with a hand squeeze.  She walked over to Oliver.  She didn’t look at him or touch him.  Instead, she stood next to him, her arms crossed around her middle, staring out into the night with him.  The quiet click of the door told Felicity they were alone.  She stood there in silence for a moment longer before speaking.  She kept her voice low, much like the way Oliver first spoke to her when he rescued her from the Cadre.

“I’m sorry, Oliver. So, so sorry…..for everything.  For your loss, for not telling you about Tommy.  Everything.”

“You think I blame you for my mother’s death?”

“I blame myself.”

“Her death isn’t your fault, Felicity.  I don’t doubt that she would have died regardless,” Oliver said, surprising her with the conviction in his tone.  She still doubted her decision not to tell him about Tommy.  She knew that she would second guess her decision to stay quiet for a very long time.  It occurred to Felicity that they all felt some level of responsibility for how the night ended.  She also believed that Oliver harbored more than just feelings of guilt.  He was angry, so very angry and not just at Tommy. 

“Maybe,” she agreed softly, “but I think we all blame ourselves, in some form or fashion.  Diggle blames himself for not encouraging me to share my suspicions about Tommy, for not silencing every man Tommy brought to the docks.  I blame myself for not telling you from the beginning that there was something off about Tommy and of our encounter at Starbucks.  And you, Oliver, blame yourself, believing that your mother died because you revealed yourself.  That she threw herself in front of that bullet because she knew it would save your life.”

Oliver didn’t say anything, but she could tell from the way he was standing that he was listening intently.

“But I don’t think you’re just blaming yourself.  Or me.  Or Diggle.  I think you blame your mother.  You blame her for being a part of the Cadre.  You blame her for the choices she made in her life.  Only, Oliver, that’s not fair.  That is not fair to Moira.  Forgive her, Oliver.”

From the corner of her eye, Felicity saw Oliver frown and cast a quick glance her way before returning his gaze to the window.  

“Can you forgive her?”

Felicity didn’t answer for a long moment.  She studied her reflection in the window and it was almost like she was seeing herself for the first time since the night she looked at herself in the mirror of her hospital room.  She was stronger, more confident and while she was still navigating her new “normal,” it wasn’t as odd as it was the first time she stepped out into the world after her rescue.  She still had a long road ahead of her, but the distance she traveled was further than she realized.  Could she forgive Moira?  Was she at that point?  She didn’t think so.

“I’m not there yet,” she finally replied with stark honesty, “but this isn’t about me.  Whether I forgive her or not isn’t relevant to whether you can forgive her.  She is her mother and you knew her better than anyone.  Every part of her…the good and the bad.”

Oliver frowned and Felicity could see he was about to protest so she forged ahead before he could speak.  Her words came softly, with a quiet strength infusing sincerity into her voice.  She still didn’t touch him, or look directly at him, but she could see his eyes gazing at her reflection in the window.  When she met his eyes, he shifted his gaze back dark expanse outside the windows.

“Your mother was an incredibly complicated woman.  The choices she made?  None were made lightly.  If you think about it, you could see how heavily those choices were weighing on her since perhaps the night the Queen’s Gambit went down.  Every choice or decision she made was done to protect you and Thea.  You may disagree with her choices,  _ strongly _ disagree…Lord knows I do….but what you can’t deny is the underlying truth.  She loved you.  She loved Thea.  No one was more important.  No one.  Forgive her, Oliver.  She forgave you.  She loved you, Oliver.  To the very end, she loved you.”

“I don’t know that I can forgive her.  I don’t know that forgiveness after her death means anything to anyone.”

“I think it would mean something to you.”

They were silent again, both staring out the window.  He didn’t reach for her.  He didn’t look at her.  Her stomach clenched.  He may not blame her for Moira’s death, but he was still angry and hurt.  She wasn’t sure what to say and she was certain he wasn’t going to say anything more.  The silence stretched and Felicity could feel it drumming beneath her skin, pushing at her.  Before she could break the silence, before she could voice the question she didn’t want to voice, the sound of a phone buzzing interrupted.  He reacheded into the inside pocket of his jacket for his phone.  He looked at the screen and swore, turning the phone around so Felicity could see.  Tommy.

“I’m going to answer it,” he said and Felicity could see that Oliver’s earlier anger was returning.

“Don’t tip your hand, Oliver.  The one thing you have on him right now is that he does not know you’re the Green Arrow.”

Diggle walked back in at the moment, his own phone at his ear. 

“Yes…..I’ll tell them…..Yes…..soon.  Love you, too.”

“Lyla?”

“Yeah.  Who’s that?” Diggle asked gesturing at Oliver’s buzzing phone.

“Tommy.”

“Are you going to answer it?”

“I think I should.  If I don’t, he’ll wonder if I’m avoiding his calls.”

“Tommy likely suspects Felicity already told you.  Let’s throw him off.  Her life is already in danger, more so now.  Act normal,” Diggle advised and Oliver nodded, gesturing for them to remain quiet as he answered the phone.  He returned to his place at the windows.

“Hi Tommy…………we’re okay.  In shock obviously.  I’m sorry I didn’t call you, there’s just been so much stuff….the police, reporters, even the QC publicist…..I just need to….I don’t know…..Oh, you’re not in Starling City?  Where are you?”

Oliver half turned towards Diggle and Felicity, his eyebrows rising at Tommy’s obvious lie.

“No, no…it’s late, stay in Central City tonight.  Tomorrow’s no good though.  I have more things to work out with the police, the coroner’s office and the funeral home……yeah, the next day works…..Thanks, Tommy.”

Oliver hung up and stared at his phone for a moment before he drew back and hurled it across the room.  Felicity jumped as it struck the wall and then fell to the floor.  

“I don’t know that I can keep up this pretense for very long,” Oliver said.  “We need to move fast.  We still haven’t found Julio, we don’t know what it was that Enrique discovered, and now….”

Oliver broke off for a moment.  He stood there, his thumb and forefinger rubbing together. 

“And now we don’t have an inside source at the Cadre,” Felicity finished quietly.

“Lyla found Julio,” Diggle announced.

“Really?  Where? How?” asked Felicity.  “Is he in custody? Can we talk to him?”

“He’s dead.”

“Of course he is,” Oliver said in frustration. “Let me guess, a sudden gang fight in the middle of the Glades?”

Diggle nodded in confirmation and Oliver snorted.  

“Goddammit, they are always one fucking step ahead of us.  Julio was our last hope to find out what Enrique discovered at the depot.”

Felicity frowned, recalling Enrique’s request to meet down by the waterfront, and then his final words.  She replayed her conversation with Moira, her frown deepening.  They were missing something, something right in front of them, something to do with why the depot was an ideal place for a drug lab.  It was located just on the outskirts of the Glades, closer to downtown Starling City than the Glades, really.  In her research, she learned the depot was actually once a – Felicity’s head snapped up as pieces of the puzzle began to connect.

“I need my tablet.  Where’s my tablet?”

She looked around the room for her bag and then remembered it was in her bag by the front door.  

“What if what Enrique wanted to tell us was that the depot was being used as a drug lab?” she said over her shoulder as she ran out of the room to grab her bag. 

“My mother already confirmed that,” Oliver said as Felicity sat on the couch, her tablet open in front of her.  She pulled up the puzzle of images from the two books she decoded.   Oliver and Diggle moved to stand behind her.  She pulled up a map of the Glades, focusing on the location of their meet with Enrique.

“Yes,” Felicity replied a bit impatiently, “but what if the fact that it is  _ in _ the depot is the significant part?  There are any number of abandoned warehouses ideally situated for a drug lab.”

“What do you mean?” Diggle asked.  Felicity didn’t answer as she rotated the images on her screen, connecting lines rapidly over top the map of the Glades.  She then held out the tablet so both men could see.  

“What is that?” Oliver asked as he studied the clear pattern of lines that intersected at specific points throughout the Glades.  From the way Felicity connected them, they started at the depot and then branched out in different directions, each direction ending in specific points, including by the abandoned water tower.

“That is the Glades old water system, a very antiquated system with accompanying tunnels for maintenance.  Long shutdown, the system begins at the truck depot which,” Felicity brought up another image, “was the old water plant before it was shut down and turned into a trucking depot.  My guess is that the cartel was using the tunnels to move their drugs around the city, and that is what Enrique meant when he kept saying ‘agua.’  He didn’t want water; he was trying to tell us about the old water lines.”

“So they are using the tunnels to distribute their drug into the Glades….but to what end?  How does that feed into their purpose of destroying the Glades?” Oliver asked his frustration clearly evident.

“Power? Control?”  Diggle suggested, equally puzzled by how the introduction of yet another drug into the Glades would cause the Glades to be destroyed.

“It must be more than that,” Felicity mused.  “Destruction…..it’s more than just causing an addiction of a new drug.  It likely serves a greater purpose and that is where power and control come in.”

“Power and control...” Oliver murmured looking at the map.  “Power and control….it’s the story of Starling City.  The rich fighting amongst each other for that power and control while maintaining the sheen of civility.”

“What does power and control mean for Tommy?  What significance does it hold for him?” asked Felicity and Diggle shook his head.  They both turned to Oliver who just shook his head.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “I thought I knew him, but clearly…..”

They lapsed into silence, Felicity stifling a yawn as exhaustion pulled at her.  

“It’s been a long day,” Diggle said finally and Felicity nodded, closing her tablet.  “I’ll be back early tomorrow, Oliver, to drive you downtown.”

“Why am I going downtown?”

“You have to go to the morgue, Oliver. Make a positive I.D.,” Diggle replied softly.

“Oh.”

“I’ll have Diggle drop me off on his way home,” Felicity said, rising from her seat on the couch.  Diggle threw her a confused look but said nothing.  Oliver nodded in agreement causing Diggle to frown in concern but Felicity gave a miniscule shake of her head.  Not that it mattered.  Oliver had his back to her, having resumed his early stance at the window.  Her heart thudded in her chest, aching at his quick agreement for her to leave.  “I’ll come back tomorrow, stay with Thea while you’re out.”

“Thank you.  I’d appreciate that,” he replied, his voice smooth; the polished tone of a man too well-bred to forget his manners.  Felicity’s lips tightened but she said nothing as she left the library.  Diggle watched her go, his expression worried as he turned back to Oliver.  He saw Oliver was watching him in the reflection of the window, his expression remote.

“Something to say, Diggle?”

“It’s not her fault, Oliver.”

“I know that.”

“Then why….”

“Good night, John.  And thank you.”

Startled at the dismissal, Diggle nodded and was about to leave without another word.  Only, he never shied away from speaking his mind to Oliver, even before he know that Oliver was the Green Arrow.  He wasn’t about to start now.

“Don’t shut us out, Oliver.  We’re here for you.  You’re angry at us right now.  I get that.  You need to look at it from our perspective.  Just like you do with any mission you take on….look at the situation from all angles.  Be angry.  Then get over it.”

Diggle walked out, leaving Oliver alone in his grief.  As the front door shut, Oliver’s shoulders slumped forward.  From his position at the window, he could just make out Diggle and Felicity speaking as Diggle opened the car door for Felicity.  Diggle touched her cheek gently and Oliver could just make out the sad smile that crossed her face before she slipped into the car.  He felt empty and lost.  And alone. So very much alone.

* * *

 

The following day, Oliver was gone before Felicity arrived at the house.  It was purposeful on his part, needing the space so he could deal with the emotional toll the day would take from him.  So he took the easy way out, and asked Diggle to pick him up early under the guise of wanting to avoid the press at the morgue.  After arranging another security team to drive Felicity to the Manor, Diggle arrived at the designated time.  While he remained silent, his expression spoke volumes as Oliver ducked into the car.  It turned out their early start was for nought.  The press apparently spent the night in front of the morgue so as not to miss his arrival.

“It’s going to be a long day,” was all Diggle said and Oliver nodded as he stepped out into the throng, pushing his way inside.

The day was long; long and emotionally draining.  It was well after midnight when he returned to the Manor, the house quiet and still.  He knew Felicity was still here and spending the night at Thea’s request. His sister texted him earlier to let him know she was asking Felicity to spend the night so that she wouldn’t be alone in the Manor.  According to Thea, Felicity spent the day fielding condolence calls and assisting Thea with details for Moira’s funeral and obituary.  That Felicity was assisting in funeral arrangements for the woman partially responsible for her torture tugged at Oliver’s conscience.  He in no way blamed Felicity for anything that happened the night Moira died.  Whether she told him or not about her suspicions would not have changed the outcome.  Tommy was there to kill him. Plain and simple.  It was her choice to not tell him, to confide in someone else, that hurt.  But more than that, he was disappointed in Felicity’s choice, believing their relationship was stronger than what she obviously thought it was.

It was odd not to speak or text with Felicity.  He didn’t reach out to her and he didn’t hear from her.  He could feel the distance growing and knew it would only get worse as they focused on stopping the Cadre.  He was so tired of arguing.  His entire day was spent in some form of argument with lawyers or board members that he didn’t know if he could have one more serious discussion. He was so damn tired.  He just wanted to sleep.   And while he knew he would rest easier with Felicity in his arms, he knew she wouldn’t come to him.  He made it clear he needed space last night and Felicity would not give him another opening until he came looking for it.  He was about to head up to his room when he heard someone in his mother’s study.   _ My study now _ , he thought and shook his head.  Expecting to find Thea or Felicity inside, he stopped short in surprise at the sight of Tommy slumped in one of the chairs by the windows overlooking the grounds, a glass of whatever his mother last put in the decanter in his hand.  The lights were off but someone had built a fire in the hearth and the flames flickered across Tommy’s face.  There was grief there and at the sight of it, Oliver’s hand curled into a fist and he remained still, willing his temper away.   _ He had no right to grieve. _  Anger boiled hotly as he struggled to maintain calm. God, he was tired.  He wasn’t ready for this.  He wasn’t ready to pretend that Tommy was still….well, Tommy. 

Oliver cleared his throat and Tommy’s head jerked up.  Upon seeing Oliver, Tommy put his glass down and jumped to his feet.  He grabbed Oliver into a hug, holding onto him tightly.  Oliver suffered through it, his face composed but he could not bring himself to return the hug.   _ You’re numb _ , he told himself,  _ just stay numb _ .  Tommy put his hands on Oliver’s shoulders.

“God, Oliver….I’m so sorry.”

Oliver nodded, not trusting himself to speak.  He pointed at Tommy’s glass and Tommy immediately moved over to the small bar cart, pouring Oliver a drink.  Oliver sank into one of the chairs and took a long drink.  He sighed, closed his eyes.  He couldn’t look at Tommy.

“What are you doing here so late, Tommy? I thought you were going to swing by tomorrow,” he finally asked, keeping his eyes closed.  His voice was tight and he hoped Tommy attributed it to grief.

“Waiting for you.  I called off and on all day, but the housekeeper said you were out.  Thea wasn’t accepting any calls and the housekeeper didn’t know when you would be home.  I finally drove over about an hour ago.  Thea was already asleep but the housekeeper let me in.  God, Oliver.  I’m so sorry.  Are you just now getting home?  Where have you been all day?”

Oliver was silent, keeping his eyes closed, Tommy’s voice raking over his skin like hot coals.  The solicitous tone fed Oliver’s anger and he felt his control slip. Images of his mother’s body on the ground flashed across his mind and his control slipped a little further.   _ Numb, you are numb _ , he repeated over and over again.

“The morgue.  The lawyers. The company.  More lawyers.  The funeral home. Back to the company.  It’s been a long day.”

He couldn’t do this.  He couldn’t pretend.  He could not sit here and hold a conversation with the man who killed his mother. He took another drink, keeping his eyes closed, certain that once he opened them, he’d lose the tenuous grip he held on his anger.  He needed,  _ wanted _ to be alone.  He searched for a reason to send Tommy on his way but drew a blank.   _ God, I’m tired _ , Oliver thought.  

“What about Thea?”

“Home all day. Taking care of other arrangements from here.”

“God, poor Thea.  Did Moira’s secretary come to assist?  I can help.  It would be my honor to help,” Tommy said and the inquisitive tone that Oliver never would have noticed before had him opening his eyes.  Oliver took another drink before finally meeting his eyes and surprisingly, not only was there a curiosity in Tommy’s expression but also a sincerity.  Oliver wanted to throw his glass at him.   _ Numb.  You’re numb. He’s fishing.  Trying to figure out what I know. Careful. _

“No, I needed her at the office to field calls from business associates and clients.  Felicity came over and helped Thea.”

“Felicity?  How is she, um, doing?  This must really be messing with her head right now.”

“She’s fine, focusing on Thea.  Sure, it’s hard for her, but she barely knew my mother.  Her concern is me and Thea,” Oliver replied after a moment, ignoring Tommy’s reference to Felicity’s mental status.

“But she knows the Green Arrow, doesn’t she?  Isn’t she working with him?” Tommy remarked.  “I heard Moira was meeting with the Green Arrow when she was, um, well, when she died.”

“Shot, Tommy.  Killed.  Murdered.  I don’t understand.  Felicity working with the Green Arrow? That’s ridiculous.  To do what? Track down her kidnappers?  She’s cooperating with law enforcement on that matter,” Oliver replied, his voice tight at the duality of his role  He needed Tommy to believe he was ignorant.  He thought back to when he didn’t know about Tommy’s involvement and realized he would have dismissed Tommy’s questions as the natural inquisitiveness of a friend of a gossip.  Being ignorant shouldn’t be so hard since he was living in it for so damn long when it came to his friend.  He then realized what Tommy just said.

“How do you know the Green Arrow was there?”

“It’s all over the news, Oliver.  He was sighted at the docks just before your mother was discovered.  Video footage was wiped, but he was there.  An anonymous, eye-witness reported it to the police today.”

_ Anonymous?  _ Oliver thought,  _ or did you call the police, Tommy? _  Oliver sighed, reminding himself to tread carefully.  He rubbed a hand over his face.   _ I need him gone.  Out  I can’t keep this up. _

“Sorry….I haven’t seen any of the reports in the papers or news.  I’ve been too busy living it.”

A tense silence filled the room as once again Oliver fell silent.  The clock on the mantel ticked, one slow second at a time.  The fire popped and the sound of ice clinking against the glass Oliver held seemed to echo loudly in the room.   Oliver couldn’t think of anything to say.  He just wanted Tommy gone before he unraveled completely and sent Tommy through a window.  His fingers clenched the delicate crystal he held.

“Oliver……look……about Felicity and her being here with Thea,” Tommy began and then stopped, unsure of how to approach this topic.  It was clear that Felicity hadn’t told Oliver anything.  Did she not know?  And if she did, why was she remaining quiet?  Why hadn’t she said anything yet.  He needed to take advantage of her silence.  Her relationship with Oliver was so new, he needed to make sure that Oliver believed him over anything Felicity had to say.

“Tommy,” Oliver said wearily.  “I’m exhausted and I just don’t have it in me to argue with you about Felicity.  She has been here for Thea so that I can take care of my mother’s remains.  So that I can meet with lawyers regarding the status of the family trust and my mother’s estate plan.  So that I can attend emergency board meetings as the family proxy and then another meeting with the corporate lawyers regarding my brand new position as acting Chief Executive for QC.  So forgive me if I don’t give a shit about any issues you may have with Felicity right now.”

Oliver’s voice slowly grew harder as he spoke and by the time he was done, his tone was menacing.  He was just barely hanging on to his control and as he stared at Tommy, he imagined throwing him across the room.  He imagined Tommy’s head cracking against the brick fireplace, blood pouring onto the floor.  His violent thoughts must have shown on his face because Tommy’s face changed.  His expression grew cold, his eyes narrowing and Oliver glimpsed the man that held a gun on him and killed his mother just last night.

“You should give a shit.  For your mother, for Thea.  Your mom was very worried about your relationship with her, concerned that her mental state would divide you from your family, your friends.  It looks like she was right to worry.”

Oliver tried to breathe past the anger coursing through him, tried to drawback his outrage but it was too much.  He could not sit here and listen to this man tell him about how concerned Moira was when he was the one who shot her.   _ Thea, Felicity _ , he reminded himself.   _ I have to protect Thea and Felicity.  This is my responsibility. _  Oliver seized on his grief and anger and his need to keep his sister and the woman he loved like no other safe from the man acting the part of friend.  He clutched at it and deflected.

“Well, she’s not here and to the very end, I will bitterly regret that my last words to her were a harsh repudiation of her thoughts on my relationship with Felicity.  But thank you, Tommy, thank you so much for your concern that you thought it would be the perfect time to tell me that my murdered mother was worried about my relationship with Felicity.  I have enough problems to deal with and your issue with Felicity is certainly nowhere near the top of my list.”

“It seems the root of a great deal of your problems have to do with her.  The Green Arrow found your mother somehow, Oliver.  Did you ever think that Felicity had something to do with that?  She’s been a problem since the moment she was rescued.  The moment you took an interest in her because your bleeding heart saw a kindred spirit.  We never fought.  Not like this, until Felicity came along.  You never fought with your mother over a woman, yet you were because of Felicity.  She’s as crazy as they come,” Tommy fired back.

Oliver dropped his head into his hands, clenching his hair.  He was so close to losing it.  He needed Tommy out.   _ Now _ .  At this moment, he was willing to say anything and everything to get Tommy out of his mother’s study and out of his mother’s house.  He tried to calm down but Tommy just kept talking, the tone changing from one of confrontation to one used to pacify a child.

“I can’t help but worry, Oliver.  With Moira gone, Thea has just you and me to look out for her.  All you have is me.  It’s my job as your friend, your best friend, to make sure the crazy doesn’t take advantage of you.  We’re family.  We always have been.”

Oliver’s temper snapped and he saw red.  He wanted him gone.  Out.  He seized on the one topic that would make Tommy shut up; that would make Tommy turn this into a joke and then he could end this farce.  He could send him out with the excuse that he needed rest or that he needed to begin returning calls to Asia.  Anything to get Tommy out.

“Well, who gives a shit other than you? Maybe crazy is my thing!  So, why not? Maybe crazy is fucking fantastic in bed?  Why do you fucking care so much?!”Oliver exploded, setting his glass on the coffee table with a hard snap before rising to his feet.  The glass broke on contact, the smell of bourbon filling the room.  Oliver turned his back on Tommy, trying to calm down.

Tommy was at a loss.  From what he could tell, Oliver remained completely unaware of Tommy’s hand in Moira’s death.  Either that, or Oliver was a world-class liar.  Only Tommy knew exactly how terrible Oliver was at lying and right now, Oliver wasn’t lying.  Tommy mulled his position over in his mind, playing out the angles that would be to his advantage.  He needed to back off, he decided.  Be Tommy, the friend Oliver could always count on. 

“So…..is she fucking fantastic in bed?”

“What the fuck, Tommy,” Oliver said and he moved to pace over by the fireplace.  He picked up the poker and prodded the fire before adding another log just to keep his hands busy.  He closed his eyes against the heat of the fire.  He couldn’t believe he just said all that. 

“No, really, I’m serious.  I read somewhere that crazy women are utterly fantastic in bed.  No inhibitions, and very, very adventurous.”

“You are one sick fuck and I’m not talking about this anymore,” Oliver retorted, his anger draining at the very Tommy-like comment.  Oliver couldn’t help the huff of laughter escaped him.  For a moment, he could almost pretend that Tommy wasn’t involved.  Only, Oliver could hear the undercurrent, the doubts that Tommy was attempting to plant and had been planting for some time now.  Oliver mentally cursed himself for not seeing it sooner.  He shot Tommy a look from over his shoulder and then turned back to the fire.  He wanted to shove the poker through Tommy’s belly.  

“I’m absolutely fucking fantastic in bed,” came a voice from the doorway and Oliver closed his eyes. _ Jesus, could this night just end already? _  Tommy stared in surprise at Felicity, whose expression was cold and hard.  She looked between the two men, disgust on her face.  Tommy saluted her with his glass but Felicity didn’t respond.  She dismissed him completely as she focused on Oliver.

“Oliver, one of your mother’s business associates just called the family’s private line.  A gentleman from China.  He’s insisting on speaking to you.  Won’t take no for an answer.”

Before Oliver could say anything, Felicity was gone.

“Fuck, Tommy, why is it where you go trouble follows?” Oliver sighed as he walked over to the phone on his mother’s desk. 

“How was I supposed to know she was still here?  Why didn’t you?”

“Do I need to review what I did today with you again?”

Tommy held his hands up in surrender and stood to leave.  He stopped at the door to turn back to Oliver who was about to pick up the phone.

“She was like a mother to me, Oliver.  For a long time, she was all I had of my own mother.  You shared her with me when I needed a mother most.  I’m so sorry, Oliver.  I’m so sorry.”

Oliver stared at Tommy, hearing the genuine grief in his voice.  There was more, a hidden guilt and secrets that Tommy didn’t realize were no longer secrets.  Oliver wanted nothing more than to wrap his hands around Tommy’s throat but it wasn’t time.  Not yet.  Soon, but not yet.  Oliver gave a jerky nod which Tommy returned before leaving. 

It took Oliver twenty minutes to extricate himself from the call from China.  He frowned as he climbed the stairs, not sure why Mr. Cheung had the sudden need to immediately speak with him in person.  It wasn’t until Oliver agreed to a private meeting in the days following his mother’s funeral that he was able to hang up.  He turned down the hall towards his room and saw Felicity sitting in a chair outside his room.  He sighed tiredly.  He was in no mood for this, not right now. He could feel his patience fraying.

“Felicity….”

“I know you just lost your mother.  I know you lost her in the worst possible way.  You’re angry.  You’re grieving.  You’re hurt.” 

“Felicity….”

“I know some of that anger and hurt is directed at me.  For making a choice that I bitterly regret, but cannot change.  You don’t want to talk about it now.  I get that.  I wouldn’t either.”

“Felicity….”

“All of that, I get.  What I do not get is that conversation I just heard.  A conversation that was not okay.  Not be a long shot, not matter what you are going through right now.  No matter how angry you are at me.”

“I didn’t expect to find him in there.  I wasn’t prepared…..”

“No, I don’t think I want to hear what you have to say right now.  It seems we’re both angry at each other now.”

Felicity stood and moved past him in the hall, her normally expressive face a mask so frigid.  Oliver put a hand on her arm, stopping her.

“Where are you going?” he asked, because he could not know.  She raised a brow at the hand on her arm and he removed it.  The space between them magnified. 

“Thea asked me to stay overnight.  Your housekeeper was kind enough to have one made up for me.”

“Felicity….”

“Good night, Oliver.”

* * *

 

Felicity sat straight up in bed, a cry trapped in her throat.  She was coated in sweat and the soreness of her throat told her she had been screaming in her sleep.   _ I’m awake. I’m safe. It was just a dream. _  Since Moira’s funeral, sleep had become an elusive luxury.  Every night, she fell into bed exhausted only to be woken a mere few hours later, the whispered terrors of her nightmares echoing in the darkness of her bedroom.   Tommy’s voice haunted her while awake and followed her into her dreams.  His presence remained constant and as result, she began avoiding the Manor in the evening, when Tommy was certain to drop by for an hour or two to visit with Thea and catch a moment with Oliver.  Felicity would disappear to the lair, where she would prepare equipment for Oliver and Diggle, both of whom searched the tunnels under the Glades every night with no success.  There was absolutely no sign of the Cadre moving drugs through the tunnels.  Every night, Oliver returned angrier and more frustrated than the night before.  On top of that, they still weren’t speaking about their relationship.  Sure, they spoke every day, but it was all business.  The funeral arrangements, Thea, the mission.  There were moments when she would look up to catch Oliver staring at her broodingly.  As soon as he realized she was looking at him, he would look away.

Felicity slipped out of bed, pulling her sweater around her.  She wandered out into the kitchen, pouring water into her glass.  She took a long sip and went to pour another glass when she realized the Brita pitcher was empty.  Sighing, she filled it and placed it into the refrigerator to cool off.  

Glancing at the clock, she saw it was nearly four in the morning.  Yeah, she wasn’t sleeping any more tonight.  Returning to her room, Felicity pulled on workout gear.  May as well burn some energy with the punching bag at the lair.  She packed a clean set of clothes and tossed her make-up case into her gym bag.  Grabbing the Brita from the fridge, she filled her water bag and then grabbed a granola bar from the basket on the counter.  Picking up her other bag with her tablet, she headed out.  As she came down the stairs from her door, Diggle stepped out of the vehicle keeping watch at her home.

“Um, John? What are you doing here?”

“Keeping an eye on you.  Headed to the lair?” he replied with a smile as she slipped into the passenger seat, tossing her bag into the backseat.  

“You should be at home.  With Lyla.  Someone else can stand outside my home,  And yes, the lair.”

“As long as he’s not by your side, I’m in your security rotation.”

Diggle started the engine and then took note of Felicity’s attire.  Dressed in leggings and a thick fleece, running shoes on her feet, it was obvious what Felicity intended to do. 

“Care to spar?” he asked and laughing at her vigorous nod, Diggle headed towards the lair.

They began with some light stretching and a review of the basics.  They quickly moved on and a couple of hours later, Felicity was wiping sweat from her forehead, glaring at Diggle.  Her legs trembled, begging for her to just drop to the mat in surrender.  She gritted her teeth and dug deep, forcing them to still.  Diggle had not taken it easy on her and she knew she would have the bruises to show for it tomorrow.  But it was worth it.  She was on a new level in her training, and the challenge was exactly what she needed to distract her from…...well, from everything else.

“Let’s go again,” she said, tossing her towel to the side.  Diggle raised a brow but simply moved back to the middle of the mat.  He started slow, moving just his arms in offensive moves while Felicity blocked on defense.

“Any luck last night in the tunnels?” Felicity asked as they slowly sped up their movements.  Last night was the first time Oliver and Diggle came home to an empty lair.  Diggle began mixing up his moves and Felicity’s eyes narrowed in concentration.

“No.  What happened to you?  Why did you take off before we came back?” Diggle asked as he increased his motion.  He began adding kicks that Felicity quickly blocked, staying just out of reach of a leg sweep that would have brought her to the floor. 

“You know why,” Felicity said, gritting her teeth as one of Diggle’s hands made contact with her upper arm.  Though he pulled the movement, it still stung.  “It’s exhausting, Diggle, maintaining this level of civility to continue our pursuit of the Cadre while ignoring everything else.”

“Offense,” Diggle said and Felicity shifted her moves and went on the attack.  She watched Diggle intently, looking for a momentary lapse as he easily blocked all her moves.  She struck right and he twisted beyond her reaching, landing another pulled blow on her upper back.

“He’s grieving, Felicity.  He’ll get over it,” Diggle said continuing their conversation, no sign of exertion in his voice.  Felicity glared at him again and he smiled.  

“I withheld information because I thought I would lose him if I didn’t have evidence to back up my claim.  It would appear I’ve lost him anyway.”

Anger and hurt suffused Felicity and she moved faster.  There! She saw Diggle leave his left side exposed when he twisted to avoid her kick to his stomach.  He quickly corrected but still, she filed that information away to use later.

“Felicity…”

“No more, John.”

They began to spar in earnest and Felicity kept a sharp eye out for the drop on Diggle’s left side.  It didn’t appear on subsequent kicks to Diggle’s middle.  She received several more stinging shots before she saw the drop and immediately struck with her fist, causing Diggle to stagger back.  They froze, staring at each other and then Felicity began whooping and jumping up and down.

“Yes! I did it! Yes!”

Diggle laughed and began unwinding the wrappings around his hands and wrists.

“Well done, Felicity.  Well done.”

“You didn’t let me get that shot in, did you?” she asked suspiciously, her grin still brightening her face.

“Nope.  You caught one of my weaknesses that I’ve worked hard to combat these last five years.  It was far worse when I first joined up with Oliver.  Training with Oliver has made it better, but you’re a quick study.”

Diggle glanced at his watch, grabbed his own duffle and headed for the small bathroom.

“I need to get going.  Oliver has a meeting with Mr. Cheung this morning at QC.  Thinks it has something to do with QC’s ongoing business relationships with Mr. Cheung’s various business holdings.  Man was insistent on meeting with Oliver before he returned to China.”

Felicity nodded, taking a long drink of water.

“I’m going to stay here.  See what else I can discover about the truck depot and water lines.  We are missing something.  I know it.  Use of the tunnels and the drugs has to be connected.  Somehow.  There are a few more puzzle pieces in the books that I haven’t connected.  I’m going to start there and see if I can uncover any more clues.”

“Not going to work today?” Diggle asked, pausing at the bathroom door.  He took a long look at Felicity and frowned in concern.  Dark shadows under her eyes, and she appeared to have lost weight.  Weight she just gained in her recovery.  

“No.  It’s my off day since I have a weekend shift coming up,” Felicity replied. She looked up and saw Diggle’s concern.  She smiled but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. 

“I’m fine, John.  Really.  It’s been a rough few days.  I’m allowed to wallow.  At least in this, I’m allowed to wallow,” she amended ruefully.

* * *

 

Oliver stepped into QC’s conference room late in the afternoon with Diggle by his side. His meeting with Mr. Cheung having been pushed due to another emergency board meeting.  He looked around in surprise when he found Mr. Cheung waiting for him alone.  

“Oliver, thank you for agreeing to meet with me.  I’m sorry that this meeting was prompted under such unfortunate circumstances,” Mr. Cheung said as he came around the table.  He held his hand out, surprising Oliver again with the western greeting.  

“I appreciate you coming to my mother’s funeral.  I had no idea you were such good friends,” Oliver replied carefully, shaking Jin Cheung’s hand.  Jin’s didn’t respond, his eyes flickering to Diggle. Oliver noticed the glance.

“You can speak freely in front of Mr. Diggle.”

“Forgive my bluntness, Oliver, but time is of the essence.  Just how freely may I speak?  Just how much does Mr. Diggle know of your time away from Starling City?”

Surprise speared through Oliver but he betrayed none of it on his face.  Jin’s expression was equally neutral despite his words and the flare of urgency in his eyes.

“Enough,” was Oliver’s reply and after a long silence, Jin nodded.

“I am a member of the Cadre,” Jin said without preamble.  “Your mother brought me in shortly after Tommy Merlyn took control of the Cadre.  Originally, it was to balance out the arrival of Isabel Rochev.  But then Tommy took my daughter.  My youngest.  And I was forced to do his bidding. The only one to know my child was taken was Moira.”

Jin paused, but when Oliver said nothing and simply stared at him, he continued speaking.

“Your mother reached out to me recently.  She wanted to stop Tommy.  Stop the destruction of the Glades.  I agreed to help provided my daughter was saved first.”

“How?” asked Oliver immediately, not bothering to pretend ignorance about the Cadre.

Jin looked at him in surprise.  “But don’t you know?  Didn’t she tell you?”

“Why would she tell me? I only recently found out about my mother’s involvement in the Cadre.”

“What? But how is this possible? You are the Green Arrow!”

At that bombshell, both Oliver and Diggle started in surprise.  Oliver’s eyes narrowed and he glanced over at Diggle.  Diggle immediately nodded and moved to the head of the conference table.  Pressing a single button on the panel embedded on the table, the windows to the room turned opaque, obscuring the view of anyone who happened by.  In a flash, Oliver had the man up against the wall, his hand around his throat.

“How do you know this?” he growled, his fingers tightening.  In a move so unexpected, Jin broke Oliver’s old, a single hand striking Oliver in the chest,pushing him backwards.  Oliver recognized the simplicity of the move and suspicion flared in his mind.  

“You wouldn’t remember me.  You were wounded, but I know you, Oliver.  Your time in Hong Kong.  I followed it very closely….as close as I could without being discovered.  I did what I could to help you survive, to help you grow stronger.  When the Vigilant made his appearance in Starling CIty, I knew immediately it was you .”

Diggle threw a glance at Oliver and saw him just barely holding on to his control.  He was staring at Jin, a murderous expression on his face.

“You saw me in Hong Kong.  You knew who I was and you did nothing to help me?”

“I could not.  You were too closely watched.  But you saved my daughter, the one that Tommy now holds prisoner. You saved her and it resulted in you being shot.”

Oliver looked at him in confusion and Jin cocked his head to the side.

“You don’t remember? The  day you were shot in the market?  The girl?”

Oliver frowned as he replayed the day in the market.  It was one of the hottest days of the summer and he was being chased through the market by the organization that was holding him captive.  During a training operation, he took a chance and ditched his handler, not realizing at the time there was more than one person watching him.  It had led to a stand off among flower vendors and the ruthless nature of his captors were revealed when they began taking aim at the civilians trying to hide.  It was when one of the men aimed his gun at a teenage girl that Oliver surrendered by throwing himself in front of her as the man shot his weapon.

“She was your daughter,” Oliver replied.

“Yes.”

“And you knew I was the Green Arrow simply because I once saved your daughter?”

“Not at first.  Your, ah, ruthless nature gave me doubts.  But then I saw footage of you fighting, your uncanny skill with the bow and arrow and I recognized you as the man I quietly watched from afar.”

“From afar,” Oliver echoed.  He turned away to look out over the city.

“I could not save you, Oliver.  But I watched over you and if death came too close, I interfered.”

“Why didn’t you contact my family?”

“I did not know who you were at the time.  I did not recognize the man in Hong Kong as the pampered son of the Queens.  I still do not recognize you as the boy in the photos that adorned your mother’s desk.”

“Why would you think my mother told me how to stop the Cadre?”

“I thought she knew.  I thought she knew who you were, that you were the Green Arrow and that you were working together.  When you infiltrated my ship, I was certain.  She seemed to find it deeply amusing that you discovered the ship so quickly.  But she did not know?”

“Not until the night she died.”

Jin shook his head an expression of bewilderment crossing his face. Oliver could see panic in his eyes.  He and Diggle exchanged another look and Diggle again nodded.

“Mr. Cheung,” Oliver said and waited for the other man to look at him.  “I will find your daughter and bring her home to you. In return, I ask you tell me and my partners everything you know about the Cadre’s mission to destroy the Glades.”

The rapid blinking of Jin’s eyes was the only indication of the depth of his emotion at Oliver’s offer.

“Thank you, Oliver.”

A buzzing sound interrupted what Oliver was about to say next. 

“Come in,” Oliver called out and Jin turned away, grateful for the opportunity to gather himself.  One of his mother’s many secretaries came in and immediately went to the panel.  She flipped a switch and one of the walls opened to reveal a television.  She turned it on.

“Sir, my apologies for the interruption.  There is a situation in the Glades.  Mrs.Queen always liked us to inform her….well, I wasn’t sure….” She faltered and Oliver sighed.

“Thank you, Lisa.  That will be all.”

At the mention of the Glades, Jin had turned and moved closer to the television. His face was one of horror.  The scene on the television was of mass chaos.  Bodies lay in the street, blood clearly visible on their faces.  Others walked around in confusion while more walked quickly by, shunning anyone still alive reaching out to them.  Oliver turned up the sound to catch the voice report.

> “.....emergency responders have no answers as to the sudden affliction that has overtaken the Glades.  Ambulance crews and other authorities responding to earlier 911 calls are unresponsive and hospital administration is unable to make contact.  At this time, Starling City Police are declining to comment.  In a drastic move to control and limit this affliction, all roads leading in and out of the Glades have been barricaded.  Waterways are patrolled and aircraft are being diverted around the air space.  Again, this is a special news report.  The images you are about to see are graphic and not for young children….”

“Oh my God.  He did it.  Before it was time.”

“What do you mean?” Oliver demanded.  “What did Tommy do?”

“Poisoned the Glades.”

“How?  I was there this morning.  The streets were empty.  Everything looked fine.  Normal,” Diggle said, as he pulled his phone from his pocket.  He called Felicity but there was no answer. He tried again.  Nothing.

“The water system.  The drug is being delivered through the water system.  The plan was to cut off the Glades water supply from the Starling City water plant and redirect it from the river as it used to be.  The residence would never know and they would drink the water not knowing they were dying.  The drug is more potent then he led us to believe.”

“Oliver,” Diggle suddenly said, his eyes on the screen as news helicopters showed the blockade on both land and water, prohibiting entry into or exit from the Glades.  He kept hitting redial calling both Felicity’s cell phone and the club’s number.  Both rang and rang with no answer.

“What?” Oliver asked seeing the worry on Diggle’s face.  Diggle didn’t say anything, just dialed Felicity again.  No answer.

“Oliver,” he said, dread heavy in his voice.

“What?  Is it Thea?  Did she go to the club?”

Diggle shook his head.  

“Then what?”

“It’s Felicity.”

“What?  She’s safe.  She’s downstairs in IT.”

Diggle shook his head and Oliver felt the first stirrings of unease in his gut.

“Where is she, Diggle?”

“In the Glades.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity's trapped in the Glades with Tommy's army closing in on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank all of you for your comments. One of the greatest joys I receive from writing is the intensity of a reader's reaction to what I've written and you all were certainly intense about your thoughts! So thank you so much for sharing them with me. 
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

After promising Diggle she wouldn’t leave until he returned or sent a security detail, Felicity stepped into the small bathroom to clean up.  She turned on the shower, turning it to the hottest setting possible.  She pulled off her shirt and toed off her shoes, waiting on the water to heat up.  She groaned as her muscles protested against the movements.  Kicking her clothes to the side, she reached in to feel the water temperature.  It was lukewarm.  Frowning, Felicity checked the setting and then waited a few more seconds before checking the temperature again. Lukewarm.

“Son of a bitch,” she huffed. “He used all the hot water!”

Closing her eyes, she jumped in and began scrubbing, cursing under her breath as the water turned colder.  By the time she was done conditioning her hair, her teeth were chattering.  She lifted her face to the water one more time, rinsing her facial wash from her face.  

“I’m going to kill him,” Felicity said aloud, shivering as she quickly toweled off.  Reaching into her bag, she quickly dressed.  Shimmying into a pair of skinny jeans, Felicity pulled on a camisole over her bra and then a black button down.  She wrapped her wet hair into a bun, too cold let it hang down her back to air dry.  Stepping out of the bathroom, she tugged on a pair of socks and pulled on a pair of flat, brown leather boots, buckling them at the knee.  Tossing her bag to the side, she dug into Oliver’s trunk to pull out one of her fleeces but then paused.  A pang of loneliness hit her hard, and for a moment she couldn’t breathe.  Felicity stayed crouched over the trunk, riding out the heartache.  She reached into the trunk but instead of grabbing her own fleece, she pulled out one of Oliver’s sweatshirts.  She snuggled into it, surrounding herself in his scent.

Feeling warmer, she headed over to the large touch screen and pulled up the drawings from the books.  Determined to lose herself in work, she flipped on some music, and then stepped back from the screen.  She didn’t move, letting her eyes remain slightly unfocused as they drifted over the drawings.  Music swept around her, blocking out the noise of the lair, the noise in her mind until it was only her and the drawings.  Felicity wasn’t sure how much time passed when she finally saw the connection.  A small thread, but it was enough to get her started.

The morning passed quickly as Felicity worked.  She hummed along with the music as she slowly fit pieces of the puzzle together.  It became clear that neither Robert or Moira’s book was complete.  They both had sketches that were unrelated to each other.  It was a painful process, ensuring a drawing didn’t match up with another before she discarded it as irrelevant.  As it were, by the time lunch rolled around, her progress was minimal.  But what she had was enough to tell her it wasn’t an image but some sort of math equation.  Sighing, she arched her back, easing the ache from being hunched over her screens.  She pulled a yogurt out from the small fridge they kept in the lair and collapsed into a chair, staring at the ladder Oliver used to do pull ups.   _Oliver._

Felicity leaned back in her chair and lifted her feet onto her desk.  The moment his name came to mind, her thoughts turned to him and the mental block she created by focusing on her work melted away.  The gulf between them continued to grow as they both avoided talking about anything unrelated to the Cadre.  There were moments when Felicity would catch Oliver’s eye and they would stare at each other, neither able to look away.  The air would become thick with unspoken words and Felicity could see the longing in Oliver’s eyes that she knew was reflected in her own.  And then there were those moments when their bodies would inadvertently brush against the other as they moved around the lair.  Her pulse would quicken and Oliver would become tense, his fingers convulsing as if he was restraining himself from reaching out to her.  She had concentrate hard to keep from touching him, to feel the warmth of his skin, the muscles of his back.  She missed him, a steady, gnawing ache inside that would bring her to tears if she dwelled to long on it.  

She was angry at first.  The conversation she overheard between him and Tommy surprised her in it’s coarseness, moreso because she was the topic.  She clung to that anger at the beginning and it was the reason for her own refusal to reach out.  The anger didn’t fade as one day slipped into another.  Instead, it remained steady until she realized that her anger was just as much disappointment in herself.  In retrospect, she should have trusted Oliver enough to at least listen to what she had to say.  That didn’t change the fact that when it came to Oliver’s blind spots, Tommy was one of his biggest.  Yet, Oliver was right.  She didn’t even try and she hated that.  She hated that she let fear and doubt creep into her psyche and erode the trust that existed between her and Oliver from the first day she put her hand in his gloved hand.  She broke something precious.  Something that was untouched by the Cadre despite their role in bringing them together.  By the time this sank in, and seeped through the bright line of anger she and Oliver drew between them, Moira’s funeral was over and several more days passed.  

Felicity sighed and drained the last of her water.  Finding the fridge empty of the bottled water they normally stocked, Felicity headed up to refill her bottle from the bar sinks after checking the security camera feed to confirm the club was empty.  No way was she drinking water from the bathroom sink.  Felicity paused, blinking in the natural light of the club.  She felt like she was emerging from the deep as the she stood in the sun streaming in from the skylights Thea insisted be incorporated into the roof.  Felicity moved behind the bar and filled her water bottle.  Looking beneath the bar, Felicity grabbed a can of bar snacks, leaving a note for Thea in the register about the pilfered snacks and promising to pay her when the club reopened.  As she turned back towards the lair, a flash of movement outside the club caught her eye.  She paused and saw another shadow across in front of the entrance, this one moving at a slower pace.  Felicity flipped the top of her water bottle and walked closer to the front door.  She peered out the door as she took a sip of water.  Unlocking the door, she stepped outside and that’s when she saw the body lying on the steps.

“Oh, my God!” Felicity whispered and dropping her bottle, she ran over only to stop short at the sight of what looked like blood dripping from the man’s mouth.  His eyes were open and unseeing, more blood leaking from the corners.  A movement to her right and Felicity saw another body, this one still alive.  She rushed over just as the woman stopped moving.  Her eyes stared up at Felicity, empty and she stepped back as blood began leaking from the woman’s eyes.  Felicity turned and stepped out onto the sidewalk.  There were bodies lying here and there and a few people crawling.  There were a few actually running, disappearing into buildings as they looked around in fear.  No one stopped to help the people crawling in the street.

Confused, Felicity moved towards another woman and as she reached her, a man running from a side street swept past her.

“Hey!  Stop!  These people need help!”

The man turned back and looked at Felicity and then at the bodies in the street.  He hesitated, but then the woman in front of Felicity began twitching and blood poured from the woman’s mouth.  The man backed away.

“No fucking way, lady.  No fucking way!”  He ran off, ignoring Felicity’s pleas to help.  Felicity turned in a helpless circle.  At the end of the street, a dark SUV drove slowly by.  Felicity took several steps towards it before instinct had her stopping.  She stepped back and then ducked back under the awning of the club just as the vehicle turned in her direction.  It stopped in the middle of the road and two men jumped out.  Carrying guns, they examined the bodies on the street.  Felicity peered out from where she knelt on the ground.  As one of the men turned, she caught sight of the Cadre’s symbol on his jacket.  She inhaled sharply and then quietly slipped back inside the club.Running to the bar, she grabbed the phone and attempted to call Diggle.  The call didn’t go through.  She tried 911 with no success.

She looked for her cell phone, and realized she left it in the lair.  She kept trying to call 911 but received the same automated notice that all circuits were busy.  She reached behind the bar and grabbed the remote to turn on one of the televisions.  She stared in horror at the scene playing out on the local news channel.  Felicity looked back outside and realized she left the door to the bar open.  She hurried over, shutting and locking the door.  She looked beyond the club’s front entrance and spotted a few  more people running.  The SUV was gone.  Felicity backed away from the door before anyone saw her.  Moving to the side, Felicity pressed a button that lowered a steel door over the main entrance.  One of Oliver’s security measures that was unknown to Tommy and Thea, it effectively prevented anyone from breaking into the club through the glass front doors.  As the steel barrier slid down, Felicity spied her water bottle on the ground.  She stared at it and her brain went into overdrive.

“Agua,” she murmured, “water.  The depot.  Water.  Agua….not a drawing, but an equation.”

The door came down with a heavy thud just as Felicity made the connection.  The drug was in the _water system._  

“Oh my God….Oh my God….”

Felicity ran down to the lair.  She flew into her chair and pulled herself over to her computers.  Her fingers flying over the keyboard, she hacked her way into the Starling City water plant.  After a few short minutes later she was in and in less than thirty seconds, she found it.  It was so small, no one would notice it and it would be gone as soon as it was reversed.  Someone shut the water down to the Glades.  Water wasn’t coming from the main plant anymore.  It was coming from the truck depot.  A few minutes later, Felicity was inside the telephone company and saw that someone had ordered all lines to the Glades to be shut down as well.  A quick check showed that they hadn’t touched cell service.  Yet.

Felicity jumped up and grabbed her phone from the table where she had left it earlier.  She saw she had several missed calls and texts.  She saw they were from Diggle.  And Thea.   _And Oliver._  She stared at her phone.   _Oliver called._

“Okay, okay.  Calm down.  Call them back.  Call them back.”  

Felicity stared at her phone.  Diggle.  Thea.  Oliver.

“Can’t call Thea.  She’ll want to talk.  Send her a text.  Tell her you’re fine.”

Felicity sent Thea a quick text telling her she was fine, and not to worry.  Thea responded immediately with a message about Oliver looking for her followed by several red-faced emojis.  In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Felicity couldn’t help but grin at Thea’s text.  She switched to her favorites, her thumb hovering over Diggle’s name.  She went with instinct.  The phone barely rang before it was answered, surprising her at how quick the call went through.

“Where are you? Are you okay? Why the fuck didn’t you answer your phone?  Goddammit Felicity, answer me!”

“I will if you would shut up for two seconds so I can speak!”

Felicity could hear Oliver’s harsh breathing across the line.  There was a lot of noise in the background; voices shouting, a helicopter in the distance and sirens….lots of sirens.

“I can’t get to you, Felicity.  Do you hear me?  I can’t get to you.  I. Can’t. Fucking. Get. To. You.”

Felicity closed her eyes, hearing the helplessness in Oliver’s voice.  She clutched her cell phone tightly.

“Where are you?” she asked, trying to keep her voice calm.  Her stomach clenched and she moved back to her chair to sit down.

“At the blockade.  They won’t let me through.  Suddenly, Starling City’s finest is unwilling to take a bribe.  According to Mr. Cheung, the Cadre controls all city political offices, including the police.”

“Of course they do,” she murmured.  She rubbed her head, an ache forming between her eyes. “Wait, what? Mr. Cheung? The man you had a meeting with today?  He knows about the Cadre?”

“I’ll fill you in later,” Oliver said, his voice urgent as he kept focused on what was happening in the Glades. “The news keeps showing the same footage over and over.  Bodies in the streets, people running…..what’s going on over there?”

Felicity took a breath and refocused.  She moved back over to her computers and quickly sent the information she pulled from the Starling City water plant and sent it to both Diggle and Oliver.

“Oliver, listen to me.  It’s in the water.  They shut down the water from Starling City and are feeding the Glades from the truck depot.  The drugs are in the water.  They made the switch while most of the city was asleep.  This is what Enrique was trying to tell us.  They weren’t manufacturing the drug to distribute them using the old service tunnels.  They were reconnecting the old water pipes to the depot’s water source and using it to drug the Glades.  I sent the information to your phones.”

Felicity heard Oliver give Diggle an abbreviated version of what she just said.  Diggle said something in return, but she couldn’t hear him over the helicopters in the background.

“Diggle said he showered and feels fine and only drank bottled water,” Oliver abruptly stopped speaking.

“Oliver?  Are you still there?  Oliver?”

“Felicity,” Oliver’s voice was strained with tension.  “Diggle said you had a water bottle that you brought from home.  Did you refill it with tap water?”

“I showered as well but I feel fine.”

“Did you drink the water?  Felicity, did you drink the water?”

Felicity recalled the small sip she took while in the club.  She closed her eyes.  It was only a sip.  She didn’t feel any different.

“No,” Felicity lied not wanting him to worry but she couldn’t maintain the lie.  “I mean, yes.  But just a sip.  And I drank filtered water from the club.  I barely had a sip when I saw the first body outside the club.  I’m okay.  I’m okay.  I feel fine.”

“Fuck, Felicity,” Oliver said into the phone and Felicity closed her eyes.  She only had a sip, but still.

“You need to tell the authorities, Oliver.”

“Diggle’s on it.”

“I didn’t see this.  All these people...how many are dead, Oliver?  Do you know?  The news isn’t saying,” Felicity said, the news feed running silently on one of her screens.

“I don’t know.  It’s bad though.”

“I missed this completely,” Felicity whispered into the phone.  “Is this it?  Is this the Cadre’s grand plan? To murder the people of the Glades?  And for what?  What purpose does this serve?  I missed this completely.”

“This is not your fault!  Do you hear me? This is not your fault!”

Felicity nodded even though Oliver couldn’t see her.

“Are they letting anyone out?”

Oliver didn’t answer right away and she knew immediately that she was trapped in the Glades.

“I will come for you, Felicity.  I will come for you.”

“I know.”

Felicity leaned her head into her hand as she held the phone tightly to her ear.  The phone cackled and for a moment cut out.  

‘Oliver?  Oliver?  Are you still there?”

Silence. Her knuckles tightened around the phone.  There was a click and then Oliver’s voice came across the line, nearly frantic in its desperation.   

“Felicity?  Felicity?  Goddammit, answer me.  Felicity!”

“I’m here, I’m here.  I’m okay. I’m here.”

“Do not drink the water.  In the back locker, there are two cases.  The key to the bar storeroom is the top desk drawer in the office.  Take water from there.”  

Felicity went to the back side of the lair and opened the lockers.  She nearly wept in relief at the sight of the sealed cases of water.  She opened one, grabbed a bottle and took a drink.  She closed her eyes at the clean, crisp taste.

“The minute I knew I couldn’t drink the water, I wanted water.  Of course, I also want a _drink_.  Luckily, I have an entire bar at my disposal.”

A loud crash from above had Felicity turning back to the computers and pulling up the club’s security system.  She switched to the outdoor cameras.

“Oh, shit,” she said aloud.

“What? What is it?  What happened?”

“There are a few people trying to get in the club.”

“The steel security doors?”

“Down.”

“Felicity, stay in the lair.  No one can get in.  I will come for you.”

“I’m safe in the lair.  Even if people break into the club, I’m safe in the lair.”

They fell silent, each listening to the other breathe.  Felicity’s heart pounded as Oliver began to speak.  His voice was low and gruff, filled with remorse.

“God, Felicity.  I’m sorry.  I’m sorry.  You shouldn’t have been there today.  You should be here.  Or at home.  At work.  Or with Thea.  But you weren’t.  You went there to work off frustration.  Because of me.”

Oliver spoke quickly, his words tripping over each other.  Felicity clung to his words, the ache in her heart easing.

“It’s not your fault.  I should have told you, Oliver.  I should have believed in you.  Us.”

“It was Tommy.  What were you supposed to think I would do or say?”

“That doesn’t change the fact that I doubted you and what I meant to you.”

“I love you.  Never doubt that.  We are going to argue and disagree, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”

“I know.  I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too.”

They fell silent and Felicity fought back tears. She would not cry.  He would come for her and then they would stop the Cadre from hurting anymore people.

“Felicity, they are shutting down the cell towers in the Glades,” Oliver suddenly said.  She heard him say something to Diggle.

“We need to do something about the water.  Stop it.”

“A warning has gone out,” Oliver replied watching Diggle approach the blockade again.

“I see it,” Felicity said, looking at the one screen she was using to stream the news.  A banner flashed, warning people not to drink the water.  This was bad.  And it explained the people outside the club, trying to get in.  People were going to lose their minds, and soon looting wouldn’t be enough.  Violence would swiftly follow.  As if he could read her mind, Oliver echoed her words.

“People are going to get violent.  Stay in the lair.”

“I will.”

“If I have to swim across the river, I will come for you.”

“Oliver? You’re breaking up.  Oliver?” Felicity felt a flutter of panic at losing her last lifeline to outside the Glades.  “Oliver, the new ear pieces.  Get the new ear pieces.  Oliver? Oliver?”

“Felicity?  Are you there?  Felicity?!?”

“Oliver?”

Felicity pulled the phone from her ear and saw the call had been dropped.  She tried to call Oliver again, but her phone flashed that there was no signal.  She pressed the phone against her head.  She was trapped in the Glades and she hadn’t told Oliver that the Cadre’s army was on her side of the river.

* * *

“Fuck!” Oliver shouted, crushing his phone in his fist.  He felt the screen crack but didn’t care.  He couldn’t reach her.  Tossing the phone into the car, he pressed the palm of his hands to his eyes as he paced away from the car.  Lowering his hands, he stared across the bridge, just able to make out the dormant smokestacks of the Mill.  She was so close.  So damn close.

“Diggle?” he called and Diggle jogged back.

“No luck.  They aren’t letting anyone in.  The only exception is city officials.  Now that they know the water source is the problem, they are going to start sending in rescue workers.”

“Felicity is alone in the lair, Diggle. I’m not waiting for local authorities to get their heads outta their asses.”

“I called Lyla,” Diggle replied. “She has a helicopter standing by.”

“The no fly zone?”

“Night drop.”

Frustrated that he had to wait several hours, Oliver nodded.  He stared over the bridge and he could almost feel Felicity.   

“Hang in there, Felicity.  Just a few more hours,” he whispered. He moved to get in the car.  

“Oliver,” Diggle suddenly said in warning.  Oliver turned and saw Tommy making his way through the crowd towards him.  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. He did not need this right now.  Diggle moved back and went back over to the barricade.  He sought out a different police officer, working another angle to try and get to Felicity sooner.

“Oliver!  What are you doing there? Oh God, is Thea at the club?” Tommy said, grasping Oliver’s arm.  Oliver shook him off, shaking his head.

“No,” he answered shortly.  “Why are you here?”

“I had to come down.  See it in person, see if they would let me cross, get to the Club make sure things were okay, locked up.  Bound to be looters.”

“You came down because of the club?”

“Why else would I be here?”

“I don’t know, Tommy.”

“Well, if Thea’s safe, why are you here?”

“Jesus, Tommy?  Why else would I be so fucking frantic to get across the river?” Oliver demanded, throwing caution to the wind.  He wasn’t going to pretend when it came to Felicity.

Tommy stared at Oliver and then looked out towards the Mill.  Oh, he couldn’t be this lucky.  He bit back a smile, arranging his face into one of dismay.

“Felicity’s at the club?”

“Yes.”

“Have you talked to Felicity?”

“No,” Oliver lied, making a snap decision to mislead Tommy.  “Cell phone service to the Glades is down and even calls on this side of the river are difficult to get through.”

“I’m sorry, Oliver.  I wish there was something I could do.”

Oliver didn’t respond watching Diggle make his way back to the car.

“Any luck?” he asked and Diggle shook his head.  Oliver growled in frustration, shoving his hands in his pocket before he reached out and grabbed Tommy by the throat.  

“I’m sure she’s fine, Oliver.”

Oliver felt a surreal sense of calm sweep over him.  His focus narrowed until it was nothing but Tommy.  He could see beneath the spoiled, rich boy veneer to the calculating, ruthless man.  He saw the wheels in Tommy’s head turning and thought about what would he do if he were Tommy.  He considered and discarded several options and then with startling clarity, he knew exactly what was going to happen.  And it was because of Oliver that Felicity was in Tommy’s immediate cross-hairs.

“I have to go, Tommy,” he said suddenly and the urgency in his voice had Diggle slipping into the driver’s seat immediately.  “Need a ride?”

“No….I’m good.  Car is over there,” Tommy refused, just as Oliver expected.  As he and Diggle drove off, Oliver watched as Tommy immediately pulled out a phone and began speaking.

“He’s calling his little army, John,” Oliver said through gritted teeth.  “He’s calling his little army to go after Felicity.  And I’m the one who told him where she is at.  Fuck! What the fuck is wrong with me.”

“It’s done.  She’s safe in the lair.  He’ll never find her.  So get over it and start planning,” Diggle said as he drove away as fast as the traffic would let him.

“Head to the Manor.  There’s something I need to get and then we go get Felicity.”

Oliver raced up the stairs to his room and pulled a small flat, wooden box from beneath his bed.  Flipping it up, he checked the contents before closing the lid just as Thea came running in.

“Did you find Felicity?  She texted me, said she was fine.  Is she really?  She’s not answering her work or home phone.”

Oliver looked at his sister, seeing the worry on her face.  He considered lying to her, but something about the way she was looking him made him decide against it.

“I found her.  She’s fine.  For now.  She’s at the club.”

“What? Why?”

“Something about a glitch from last night that she didn’t want to bother you with.  She was supposed to be in and out in under an hour.”

“You are going to get her, right Oliver?” Thea asked, her eyes huge.  Oliver pulled her in for a hug.

“Yes.”

“How?”

Oliver paused and then looking Thea directly in the eye he gave her the only answer he could.

“It’s better you don’t know, Thea.  That way, you won’t have to lie to anyone about how I got her out.”

Thea stared at Oliver, saying nothing for a long moment.  She glanced down at the wooden box, recognizing it as the one he returned with from the island.  She finally gave a jerking nod of the head.

“There’s a lot I don’t know, isn’t there?  There are things about Mom’s murder that don’t make sense.  And Felicity’s fear of Tommy.  She tries to hide it, but I can see it.  It shakes her.  All week, as she helped me, helped _you_ , with funeral arrangements and responses to condolence cards or calls, she was afraid.  She was having nightmares again, did you now?  No, because you were angry with her about something….even though she tried to tell me that everything was fine.  But I knew.”

Oliver’s gut clenched at Thea’s words.  She’d been having nightmares and dealing with them alone.  He didn’t know what to say.  Thea looked at him with eyes wiser than they were a mere few days ago.  Oliver didn’t want her to know about this life, the things he used to do and the things he was certain he was going to have to do.  She remained on the fringes, but with the death of their mother, she was slowly being pulled in.  Oliver didn’t know how to protect her.  Knowledge was power, but too much could lead to Thea being harmed.

“There is so much I want to tell you, but I can’t.  I need you to trust me on this though.  Do not speak to Tommy.  Do not tell him you saw me and do not talk to him about Felicity or her being in the Glades.  Can you trust me on that?  Can you trust me when I saw that Felicity saw something that changes everything we know about Tommy.  He’s dangerous, Thea and while I believe he loves you, I also believe he would hurt you if he thought you knew something.”

Thea didn’t say anything for a moment, her eyes huge as she digested what Oliver just told her.  She swallowed.

“I don’t understand this, Oliver.  Not any of it.  But I trust you.  So go get her, Oliver.  We need her.  More importantly, you need her.  Do what you have to do.  Just get her.”

Oliver nodded and pressed a kiss to his sister’s forehead and after telling her to stay in the house, he left her with the promise that he would only come back when he had Felicity.  He tossed it into the back of the SUV before jumping back into the passenger seat.

“One more stop.  I’m pretty sure I remember Felicity showing me new ear pieces she designed to work independent of cell towers. Something about satellite….anyway, she had two of them at her apartment.”

Diggle sped off towards Felicity, full aware that they were racing against the clock.

* * *

Felicity stared at her cell phone, willing it to show service.  Nothing.  Turning away, she tried to organize her thoughts.  She glanced at her screen and saw the crowd outside the club remained the same; no smaller, no larger.  Felicity moved over to the case holding the team’s comms unit and pulled out an ear piece.  She hoped Oliver remembered.  She had taken two of the ear pieces home to test the signal ranges and never had the opportunity to return them to the lair.  If he remembered, they should be able to speak. Soon.  Felicity glanced back at the security camera and saw the crowd around the club had disappeared.  Frowning, she moved over to the computer and brought up camera at the delivery entrance.  No one. Something wasn’t right.  This wasn’t good. She brought up all the security cameras and froze.  Tommy’s army was inside the club.  Shit.  Shit.   _Shit._  Felicity hit a button and sound flooded the lair.

“Club secured.  No sign of her.”

“She’s here, somewhere.  Television is on, phone is on the bar.  She’s here.  Search again.”

Men fanned out to search the club while the one giving orders pulled out a phone.  Felicity jumped when she heard ringing and then realized that her earpiece was using the same satellite signal.  She couldn’t help but grin.  She made a mental note to add switch frequencies so that her conversations with Oliver and Diggle weren’t picked up.  That is, if Oliver remembered the new ear pieces.

“Do you have her?”

“Negative.  The club is empty.”

“Empty?  That’s not possible.  I have confirmation that she is in the club.”

“Sir, we’ve searched it twice and are in the midst of a third sweep.  It’s empty.”

Silence and when Tommy did speak again, his voice was tight, his rage apparent in the clipped manner in which he spoke.

“Find her. And bring her to the docks.  I don’t care what condition she’s in, provided she’s alive.”

Tommy hung up and Felicity let out the breath she’d been holding.  She quickly realigned the new ear pieces and sent a remote signal to the ones at her house.   _Please remember the new ear pieces, Oliver_ , Felicity prayed before turning her attention back to the upper level of the mill.

“Someone tell me they found the fucking girl!” the man shouted as he shoved his phone in his pocket.

“Negative,” a voice called and then another until the room was quiet.

“Fuck.  He’s going to explode if we don’t come back with her.”

“How is he so certain she’s here?” asked one of the men.

“No idea.  But she had to have been.  The phone, the television….that strange security door over the main entrance.  She had to have been here.  She must have left.”

“To where?”

“Again, no idea.  Let’s regroup and start a sweep of the immediate area.”

“Sir, this partition here….almost looks like a door…..” one of the soldiers started but was interrupted.

“It’s just the construction. She’s not here, let’s move on and find her before Mr. Merlyn blows a gasket.  Get word out to the rest of the unit to redo their sweeps with an eye out for the girl.  Get her image out there.  In fact, get it out to those remaining in the Glades.  Offer water and a monetary reward for information leading to her capture.  The boss wants her so we’ll get her for him.”

Felicity shuddered at the words as Tommy’s men left the club.  She recalled, vividly the last time she was taken  She refused to let it happen again.  She was safe, for now.

* * *

He could smell the scent of her perfume as soon as he stepped inside her apartment.  The light scent washed over him and the ache in his heart intensified.  He stopped, savoring the feel of having her around him.  He gave himself a few seconds, enough to center himself with this small hint of Felicity.   _Did you know she’s been having nightmares?_ Thea’s words haunted him and he cursed his own stupidity.  Oliver quickly found the earpieces on Felicity’s desk and turned to head back out.  

“Let’s go,” he said and Diggle took off, trying to avoid the main thoroughfares as much as possible.  Traffic in the city was a snarling mess due to the numerous road closures to prevent people from getting too close to the Glades.  Those that commuted downtown from the Glades were pressing at barricades, anxious to get back to their families. To loved ones that were very likely dead.  Police in riot gear lined the bridge to the Glades as well as the streets in the immediate vicinity.  As news from inside slowed to a mere trickle, the crowd’s patience was wearing thin.  The night would prove to be violent if control wasn’t established.

Oliver and Diggle didn’t speak as they made their way to A.R.G.U.S. headquarters.  Oliver's thoughts remained on the Glades and the enormous amount of planning that went into today’s events.  Control.  Power.  While the Glades was poor from an economic perspective, it was rich in another.  Land and sea.  The old Starling City airport was still at the edge of the Glades by the water.  Not large enough to support tourism and the steady stream of business travelers that flew commercial air, it was large enough for commerce as well as a private air strip for those that owned their own planes.  Along with the only water route access, whomever controlled the Glades, controlled Starling City.  For years, gangs divided the Glades into territories while certain business controlled other aspects, such as the docks.  Alone, no one gang or business could exert any type of influence.  Since it was unlikely the gangs would ever unite, that left the Glades free for the taking for anyone who could seize it as a whole versus parts.  The Cadre just positioned themselves to take over the Glades while killing thousands in the process.  Despite his years away and the evil he saw almost daily during that time, the audacity of the Cadre’s plan stunned Oliver.

“Oliver,” Diggle said quietly and motioned to his left.  Oliver leaned forward and looked out Diggle’s window.  The crowd on the streets closest to the bridge was pressing against the barricades.  A police helicopter hovered over the bridge, a loudspeaker ordering the crowd to move back.  No one was listening, the crowd angry at being denied information of their loved ones.  At any moment, someone would snap and there would be blood.

“Dammit...there’s nothing we can do.”

“No,” Diggle agreed, “but perhaps Lyla can help.”

Diggle pulled away from the intersection and sped towards the well-hidden offices of A.R.G.U.S.  Oliver took the ear pieces from his pocket and flicked them on, handing one to Diggle.  

“This isn’t just about power and control,” Diggle suddenly said. “This is personal. With enough planning, anyone could take complete control of the Glades with minimal loss of life.  This was a massacre.  A deliberately planned massacre.”

“Tommy’s mother was murdered in the Glades,” Oliver murmured.  “Malcolm was supposed to pick her up at the clinic where she volunteered, but he was delayed by a business meeting.  She was killed as she waited.  Police said it was a mugging and that she fought the muggers.”

“All of this for his mother?”

“I don’t know.  I don’t know this man, this person who would harm innocents.  Since my return, he’s never shown this side of him.  At least, not that I could see. Or wanted to see.  This ruthless side?  I would expect it of Malcolm.  Not Tommy.  Perhaps the damage done by Malcolm when Tommy was a boy is more embedded in Tommy than I know.  Or wanted to know.”

The frustration in Oliver’s voice spoke to the level of disappointment he was feeling in himself.  All these years and he missed this side of his friend.  The men fell silent and then they heard a crackling sound in their ears. Oliver put his hand to his ear.

“Felicity?”  

A tense silence filled the car as they waited for a response.  Oliver stared at the clock on the dash as he repeated her name once.  And then twice.  His hands clenched into fists as one minute became five minutes.  There was a crackling sound and then the breath whooshed out of him.

“Oliver? John?”

“We’re here. Are you still in the lair?”

“Yes…...Cadre…...Tommy…..”

“Felicity, you’re breaking up.”

“Oliver? John?”

There was another crackling sound and then silence.

“Dammit!” Oliver exploded and the car jerked forward as Diggle pressed down on the accelerator.

* * *

“Dammit!” Felicity yelled, flinging her earpiece to the desk.  She pushed out of her chair and began pacing.  They should work.  There is no reason that they shouldn’t work.  They worked perfectly.   _On the other signal_ , she suddenly thought.  She couldn’t take the risk that the Cadre could hear her.  That they could hear _Oliver._  She would not risk his identity like that.  She needed to be patient.  Oliver would come for her.

* * *

Tommy stared down at the body of the man lying in front of him.  There was no remorse on his face, just cold judgment.  The man coughed and spit blood out on the pavement.  The two men who administered the beating waited for further direction.

“You,” he finally said, pointing to the one on the right.  “Get rid of him.”

The man motioned to two other individuals and the body was quickly removed from Tommy’s sight.  As he was dragged away, the man groaned in pain but Tommy had already forgotten him.  Tommy looked at the man on the right.

“You,” he said, pointing to the man left standing in front of him.  “What is your name?”

“Trevor, Sir.”

“Trevor, tell me again about the search of the club.”

“Yes, Sir.  We swept the area in four teams of three.  The front entrance was blocked by some sort of steel door so we entered through the back.  We searched all rooms, the roof, the buildings in the immediate area.  There was no sign of her.”

“You searched every room,” Tommy said, turning away from his army.  It wasn’t a question.  There weren’t that many rooms in the club to begin with.   _Felicity must have found some place else to hide,_ he mused, _perhaps the roof…_ ”You searched the roof?”.

“Yes, Sir.  We searched all rooms but one.”

Surprised at the answer, Tommy spun around.  Trevor jerked but held his ground.

“What. Do. You. Mean.”

“There was a door near the delivery entrance, only it didn’t look like a door.No handles or anything, but there was something about it.  I’m certain it led to some sort of basement.  The Queen Consolidated steel mill had locker rooms installed in the basements of some of the buildings.  I didn’t see a basement in this one, but I know there used to be one.”

“And you know this because?”

“My father worked in the steel mill before it was shut down.  I went to meet him after work sometimes.  I would wait for him in the locker room.  He worked in the building that is now the club.  It was one of the smaller ones, but there was a locker room.”

“And you didn’t mention this before because?”

The man remained silent.

“Go back to the club.  Find a way in.  Blast your way in.  Find her.”

The man nodded and immediately pulled out his phone as he waved the remaining men back to their SUVs.  He pulled additional units from near the club and sent them back to begin getting through that door.  

In the basement of the club, Felicity sat frozen as she continued to listen to the Cadre’s phone conversations over the shared signal.  The stairs from the upper level no longer led directly into the lair as it did when she first learned Oliver’s secret.  While the club was being renovated, Oliver and Diggle took a portion of the basement and created an old locker room using old lumber from the original structure.  Now, the stairs led to a basement lined with old lockers and benches, reminiscent of a steel mill locker room.   If one searched very carefully, they could find the second hidden entrance.  Felicity sat, uncertain as to whether to stay or go.  If she left, and left some sort of sign in the outer area that she had been here, the lair may remain a secret….Oliver’s identity would remain a secret.  For Felicity, it was a no brainer.  She didn’t have time to destroy everything in the lair and to hide evidence of Oliver and Diggle’s role as Starling City vigilantes.  

Decision made, Felicity grabbed her messenger bag, she threw in her tablet and extra bottles of water.  She jerked off Oliver’s sweatshirt, knowing the extra fabric would hamper her movements and pulled on one of the black fleeces that Diggle had given her and then a black beanie.  Securing her bag, she pulled on a pair of black leather gloves, lined with fur.  She pulled open the false wall and stepped out into the outer room.  Opening her messenger bag, she pulled out her scarf and her makeup bag.  Draping the scarf on the bench and scattering the contents of her make up bag on the floor, she took one of the bottles of water and drank half of it.  She closed it and then also tossed it on the floor.  She went back in the lair and shut the door, making sure it was securely closed before moving to the other set of stairs that led to another exit.  She turned and shut down the lights, plunging the room into darkness as she slipped out into the alley and into the Glades.  She turned the corner just as the Cadre’s Army swarmed into the alley behind her.  Her heart beating at the close call, Felicity began running deeper into Tommy’s territory.

 


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity dodges the Cadre while Oliver and Diggle try to find her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter took a different direction while I was editing my previous version. I didn't like the second half of the chapter and the way it reflected on Felicity's journey thus far. It didn't fit with who she's become over this story. So I rewrote it entirely, which will in turn change things that happen in the current drafts of the next few chapters. I'll be rewriting those as well. This change led to a number of deletions, including scenes that segued nicely into hot sex.....sorry..... ;-)
> 
> I hope you enjoy and as usual, thank you for reading!

* * *

Felicity tugged the beanie over her head more securely, obscuring her blonde hair from anyone who may be looking for her from above.  Since she let the Cadre get a glimpse of her away from the lair, she had been slowly and painstakingly making her way across the Glades to the QC warehouses.  To mislead the men chasing her, she had moved away from the warehouses before slowly changing direction.  But for every block in the right direction, she took two more in the opposite in order to avoid the Cadre. As a result, she was only halfway to her destination.  Felicity took a small step out from the protective shadows of the alley she was hiding in and quickly glanced up and down the street.   Aside from the abandoned bodies, it was empty.  She looked left again, biting her lip.  Just a few blocks up was some sort of sandwich shop or convenience store.  The lights were out, but it was clear looters had already visited.  The window pane was shattered across the sidewalk, the shards of glass winking in the blinking yellow light of the lone streetlamp.  It was that streetlamp that gave her pause.  Directly in front of the store’s entrance, she would be exposed for however long it took her to determine it was safe to go inside.  She was determined to get there; the free WiFi sign was an invitation she could not resist.  She didn’t know if there would be connectivity, but she needed to take the chance and try to get in touch with Oliver and Diggle.  Feeling her stomach jump, she took a breath.  It was now or never.

Felicity stayed close to the buildings as she began making her way down the street.  She stayed low, and kept her pace even, not running but not strolling either.  She didn’t want to draw attention from the helicopters flying above or anyone watching from the buildings.  When she was nearly across from the store, she heard the sound of a vehicle coming from behind her and she quickly shimmied her way into a small gap between two buildings.  The smell of urine filled her nose and her stomach rolled with nausea.  Felicity leaned out only to pull back, scraping her knuckles against the brick.  A black SUV was driving slowly down the street, a bright light flashing from side to side.  She needed to get low, but the gap she was in didn’t leave a lot of room.  She turn as fars as she could to face forward and then sank down.  Her cheek rubbed against the wall and she felt the sting of skin being torn.  She swallowed thickly, nausea clawing at her throat.  Adjusting her fleece in the cramped space to cover the rest of her hair, she went still as the SUV drew closer.  As it passed her, the light flashed right where she had been standing and Felicity quickly lowered her face to the ground.  The light flashed again, but never swung lower and soon the SUV rolled forward.  Felicity began to relax until she heard it stop just past where she hid.  She tried to see what was happening, but the way she was positioned gave her little room to move.  She had to rely on her ears.  She heard the sound of the SUV doors opening then closing.  She hunkered tightly down, straining to hear what they were saying but the noise of the engine and the sound of helicopters flying overhead drowned out their voices.  

Felicity shifted slightly and could just make out the back of the SUV.  She slowly rose back to her feet, her calves aching at the movement.  She risked a glance out and saw they were searching the store, _her_ store.  She pulled herself tightly back into the protection of the two buildings, breathing heavily.  She wiped sweat from her forehead and closed her eyes, straining to hear the sound of their departure.  A full minute went by.  Then another.  Felicity could feel her stomach cramping, and she fought back the urge to vomit.  Her cheek stung and she tried not think about how many germs were taking up residence in the scrape on her face.  She leaned her head back against the wall, breathing in through her mouth.  The waiting was giving her too much time to think about that small sip of water.  She knew she was sick.  The small sip had moved slowly through her body, starting with small bouts of nausea and blurred vision.  It wasn’t enough to stop her but it slowed her down.  Her mind was sluggish as she tried to outthink the men chasing her while fighting to keep the nausea at bay.. She knew it was only a matter of time before it caught up to her.  She didn’t want to think about how bad it could be, whether she would end up like the people left on the streets.  That she was still able to walk kept her from thinking the worst.  If the poison was strong enough to kill her through a sip of water, she would already be dead.  She pushed thoughts of blood gushing from her mouth and eyes to the side.  She had to focus.  It was only a small sip.

Felicity’s eyes flew open as she heard the SUV doors slam and the vehicle slowly take off.  Heart pounding, Felicity waited another full two minutes before peering out.  The streets were empty.  She looked at the store and watched the entrance for several minutes, waiting.  She didn’t see any movement.  She crept from her hiding place, staying deep in the shadows of the buildings until she was directly across the street from the store.  She glanced up and down the street before darting across the street to crouch below the broken window.  She peeked over the edge and saw the store was empty.  She couldn’t see to the far back, but she didn’t hear anyone walking around.  After a moment’s hesitation, Felicity slipped inside the store, broken glass crunching beneath her shoes.  She froze, waiting for someone to jump out on her.  When she was convinced she was alone, she let out a breath and then looked around the store as she stood.

It was a disaster.  Food and drink were spilled everywhere, mixing with the shredded pages of magazines and newspapers.  A convenience store of some type, there were cheap household goods lying on the ground along with cans of motor oil.  An exploded bag of chips lay across the counter by the cash register and she briefly considered sweeping some up into the bag.  The thought made her stomach turn and she turned away to look for something she could drink.  The refrigerated cases lining the wall on her right were broken, their contents empty but for more broken glass or empty bottles thrown back inside.  Felicity moved deeper into the store, easing past a sandwich making counter that was on wheels.  There were small tables tucked in one corner, most broken, unable to hold up under the onslaught of looters that decimated the place.  Behind the sandwich counter, more food and drink was strewn across the floor, spilling out from the smaller coolers built into the counter.  The hum of the refrigerators beckoned and Felicity moved to the other side of the store to look inside them.  She wasn’t hopeful until she spied one of the chip racks that had been overturned and what looked like bottles trapped underneath.  Lifting it up, she found a bottle of iced tea and some type of lemon-lime sports drink.  Shoving them both in her bag, Felicity then made her way towards the back of the store, looking for an office.  She found a bathroom and a stockroom, but no office.  She also didn’t see a rear entrance which could become a problem.  She debated whether to stay in a place without a rear exit but the idea that she may be able to access the internet was too tempting.  Going back to the stockroom, she looked around more carefully and tucked in one corner, hidden from view of the door, she found what she needed.  

Their network system was pretty straight forward and thanks to a helpful employee that had written the network password and taped it to the computer, she didn’t have to hack in.  Except once inside the store’s system, her tablet wouldn’t connect to the internet.  She stared at her tablet and realized that at some point, the Glades lost any connectivity to the outside.  No information was leaving the Glades and those still alive and stuck in the Glades weren’t receiving any information.  She stared down at her tablet.  Without connectivity, she couldn’t attempt to hack into A.R.G.U.S. to send a message.  She was pretty sure that once Oliver and Diggle found the lair empty, they would look for her at the warehouses next.

“You’ve lingered long enough.  There’s nothing here. Need to move,” she whispered to herself.  Nausea curled her stomach and she closed her eyes as her tablet blurred.  Denial wouldn’t make the nausea stop or keep her vision from blurring.  It wouldn’t stop the stomach cramping.  The drug was in her system and it wasn’t going away anytime soon.  She could change that.  She wiped away the sweat beading on her forehead.  She needed to clear her system and there was only one way she could think to do that without a hospital.  Leaving her tablet and bag in the storeroom, Felicity went into the small bathroom and stared down at the toilet.

“You can do this,” Felicity whispered and without further hesitation, she stuck her finger down her throat, the contents of her stomach erupting from her.  Her body heaved as she vomited, her stomach cramping furiously.  Sweat trickled down her back and tears streamed from her eyes.  She hung over the toilet, breathing heavily as she braced herself up with one hand on the wall.  She didn’t move.  Her head felt clearer, but the nausea remained.   _One more time,_ she thought and she did it again.  Shaking, she opened her eyes and forced herself to look in the toilet.  No blood.  She closed her eyes and tried to vomit again but there was nothing left in her stomach.  She gagged until she finally gave up, flushing the toilet before moving over to the sink.  Looking in the mirror, she winced at her reflection.  She was incredibly pale, washed out even, and her eyes were red, tears still leaking.  Felicity reached down to turn on the water so she could clean up and froze.

“Shit.”

Shuddering at the disgusting taste in her mouth, Felicity went back out into the store.  She carefully picked her way around the wreckage, keeping one eye on the street, and found what she was looking for just a few steps away from the bathroom.  Apparently, personal hygiene items were not a priority for looters.  Back in the bathroom, she opened the plastic toothbrush and the toothpaste.  She scrubbed her teeth and then used a travel size mouthwash to rinse.  Felicity stared at herself in the mirror.  Opening the pack of baby wipes, she cleaned her face and hands, hissing as the scrape on her cheek stung.  Feeling marginally better, she realized her vision was steady again and the nausea was almost entirely gone.  Taking the supplies with her, she went back to the storeroom and fished out the sports drink from her bag.  Felicity took a small sip.  When it stayed down, she took another.  She needed to hydrate and refuel or she would become an easy target.  She didn’t fool herself into thinking she was completely free of the poison, but it was better than before.

“Okay.  Okay.  Get it together,” Felicity murmured.  “So you don’t have internet...your own personal nightmare has come to life.  Never mind having been kidnapped and tortured...no internet is way scarier.  So, what next?  What next?”

She put her tablet away and pulled out her earpiece.  Turning it on, she sent up a silent prayer.

“Hello?”

There was silence for a moment and then a crackling noise.  Felicity closed her eyes in relief at the sound of John’s voice.

“Fel….where…...we…..coming…..”

“Signal is bad, John. I’m in a store.  Corner of 5th and Draper.”

“Can’t….Felicity…..hello?”

Felicity swore softly as the signal died.  She didn’t dare use the alternate channel for fear that someone from the Cadre would hear her.  If she could hear their comms, then they most certainly would hear her.  She clicked back to the original signal only to get an earful of static. She flipped off the earpiece.  It was a risk to keep trying.  She wasn’t sure that the Cadre wouldn’t be able to track any communications signal that shouldn’t currently exist in the Glades.  She hoped Lyla’s people were able to pinpoint her location.

“Technology currently sucks,” she muttered as she put the earpiece back into her bag.  It was time to get moving.  She looked around the stockroom for anything the looters may have missed.  Picking her way around overturned boxes and shelves, she found a box of crushed saltines, a chocolate bar, and a can of black beans.  Exhausted from lifting and moving shelves, she gathered her meager find, adding it to the tea in her bag while she munched on a handful of broken crackers. She sank down to the floor behind the small network station and rested her head against the wall.  She just needed a minute.  Her eyes slipped close, and she pushed them open, blinking rapidly.  She shook her head and ate another handful of broken crackers.  Another sip of the sports drink.  

“One more minute,” she murmured to herself as her eyes closed.  This time, they stayed shut, her body surrendering to the need for rest.

At the end of the road, a black SUV turned up Draper, and several men in black stepped out of the vehicle.

“The signal came from somewhere on this street.  Search every building until you find her.”

\-------

Oliver stared down into the streets below, his anger hardening into tight ball in his chest.  He stood on the roof of an old apartment building and looked down at the uncollected bodies on the street.  Abandoned where they fell, it wouldn’t be long before stray animals came out.  Unless they too were dead from the poisoned water.  He moved to the other side and peered down at the club and saw it was guarded by a handful of Tommy’s men.  

“Diggle,” Oliver said into his comms unit. “She didn’t come back here.”

“She’s not at the QC warehouses either.”

“Has Lyla been able to clean up her last transmission?”

“All she could get was ‘corner’ and “Draper’ and something that sounded like store.”

“Fuck.  Draper zig zags right through the Glades.  There’s at least ten different stores.  Were Lyla’s people able to pinpoint a signal?”

“Yep.  Not as finite as Felicity would have done but they were able to triangulate the signal to a twelve block radius.”

“That will have to do.  Send me the coordinates.”

“Sent.  I’ll work my way south,” Diggle replied.

“Meet you in the middle,” Oliver replied before disconnecting.  He looked at the map Diggle sent  and planned his route.  He turned and began running across the rooftops, focused on one thing and one thing only.  Felicity.

_Hold on, Felicity.  Hold on._

* * *

Felicity woke with a jolt, instinct keeping her still.  She sat quietly, listening intently.  There!  The sound of glass crunching beneath the heavy tread of someone’s shoe.  It sounded loud in the quiet; sharp, popping noises, telling Felicity someone much bigger than she was in the store.  She quietly stood and secured her bag tightly across her body.  She looked around for something she could use as weapon, but came up empty.  She eyed the legs of one of the overturned shelves, but didn’t want to risk the noise it would make if she attempted to remove one.  Moving to the door, Felicity leaned out slowly and saw a single man dressed in black moving behind the sandwich counter.  The man was large, larger than Oliver.  Maybe even Diggle.  She swallowed hard, cursing that she chose a store without a rear entrance.   _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ As the man turned to look behind the counter, she could just barely see past him to the front door of the store.  There was no one with him.  

When the man stepped behind the counter, she took the opportunity to slip out of the stockroom, crouching low to the floor.  Carefully avoiding the debris on the floor, Felicity scuttled to a position behind a set of still-standing shelves, her ears closely following the man’s movements on the opposite side of the store from her.  She moved when he did, keeping time with him, and always counter to his movements.  It was a dangerous game of cat and mouse and one that could backfire, but she refused to stay in one spot, hiding in a place she was certain to be found. Felicity heard him move towards the back part of the store so she moved very slowly towards the front, carefully creeping over broken glass and anything that may crunch under her feet.  It was slow going, difficult to move only when he did so he wouldn’t hear her.  She was only a few aisles down from her original position when he stepped into the small hall that led to the bathroom and stock room. As he kicked in the door, Felicity scurried into an aisle halfway towards the front of the store.  She heard a second door and knew he was in the storeroom.  A few seconds later, he moved back into the store and then he stopped moving.

“I know you’re here,” he suddenly said and Felicity’s eyes widened.  “Come out now, and I won’t hurt you.”

Felicity stayed quiet.  She didn’t know if he was bluffing or not, but she wasn’t about to help him.

“There’s no point in pretending.  You’re sick.  I can smell it.”

Felicity once again looked around for something, _anything_ , she could use as a weapon.  The aisle she was in was filled with a mix of automotive and barbeque supplies.  Unless she wanted to kill him with her terrible cooking, she was out of luck.  There wasn’t even a pair of tongs that she could use.  She soundlessly shifted to her left as she heard him move towards the right wall.  

“You can’t fight me,” the man continued.  “You will only get hurt.  Surrender is the safest option.”

Felicity wanted to laugh.  Safe?  Being taken to Tommy Merlyn was safe?  She almost snorted, but managed to hold it back.  His footsteps came quickly and she slid around the aisle to the end cap as he passed by her.  From the corner of her eye, she spied a tipped over can of lighter fluid.  Grabbing it, she sidled back down another aisle as he began making his way around again.  She moved towards the wall holding the drink coolers, and waited until he stopped walking.  He was so close.  Her heart thudded as tension screamed in her veins.   _Stay calm, stay deliberate, be patient_ , she repeated over and over.

“You’re starting to piss me off, lady.  There’s nowhere for you to go.  There’s no one coming for you.  You’re alone.  You’re only delaying the inevitable.”

Felicity didn’t feel any fear.  Only anger.  She may be alone right now, but she wouldn’t be for long.  Oliver was coming.  Diggle was coming.  And she wasn’t the same woman she was when they first took her.  She was stronger.  Meaner.  This man would not re-victimize her.  He would not scare her into inaction.  She didn’t move as he came down the aisle closest to her.  She shifted quietly onto the balls of her feet and removed the cap on the lighter fluid.  He was right behind her.  Two, maybe three more steps, and he would see the top of her head.  Quick, with no hesitation and exactly like Diggle taught her, Felicity threw the cap using a sidearm motion to the opposite side of the store.  It hit a cigarette sign that had fallen to the floor and with a ping that echoed loudly in the quiet store, it bounced to the floor.  Before the sound faded, she jumped up to find the man looking in the direction of the cap.  Taking advantage of his distraction, she squeezed the can of lighter fluid with all of her might just as his head whipped around in her direction.  Her aim was true and it struck him in the face, blinding him.  He dropped his gun and brought his hands to his eyes.

“You bitch,” he yelled as he frantically tried to clear his eyes.  He blinked, looking around for his gun and Felicity kicked it away as he came towards her.  She moved back and as he faced her, she grabbed one of the open doors to the drink coolers and slammed it in his face.  He howled, staggering back.  She followed it up with a sharp kick to his groin, but her aim was off.  Even so, he yelped, falling back a few more feet.  Felicity ran quickly, skidding along the floor.  Her foot slipped on the food and drinks looters spilled all over the floor and she almost fell.  Straightening herself quickly, she was almost to the door, when she felt a hand grab hold of the strap of her bag.  The man spun her around and grabbed her away from the entrance, twisting her around but losing his grip on her as she slid.  Regaining her balance, Felicity struck out with her leg, catching him in the thigh.

“Bitch. You had your chance,” he growled and Felicity knew that she lost the element of surprise.  Still, she struggled and fought, lashing out where she could until he turned sharply, capturing her wrist and yanking her back against his front, one of her arms held up across her back while his other arm came around her throat in a chokehold.  She stilled, the arm around her neck tightened as he pulled up on her other.  Her shoulder and arm burned.

“Our instructions are to bring you in alive.  They don’t care what your condition is,” he whispered in her ear.  

Felicity closed her eyes, focusing inward.  She would not let him scare her.  She had been in this position before.  It was one of the first moves Diggle taught her, just after she joined the team.

_“It will take several years before you can go head to head with anyone with training.”_

_“So I’ll always be at the mercy of someone stronger than me?”_

_“It’s more complicated than that.  There will always be someone stronger.  It’s not always about strength.  It’s how you fight.  Being smart in your moves.”_

_“I don’t understand.”_

_Diggle looked at her and then motioned for her to turn around.  Felicity gave her back to Diggle._

_“I’m going to take your arm, and I’m going to bring it up and across your back.  Don’t move.”_

_Diggle positioned Felicity the way he wanted her.  Just then, Oliver walked in.  He leaned against one of the tables, watching._

_“Now, imagine you’re being held extremely tight and that you can’t move at all without pain.”_

_Felicity took a breath and tried to imagine that she couldn’t move.  She shook her head._

_“Diggle, you need to hold me tighter.”_

_“Are you sure?”  At Felicity’s nod, Diggle tightened his grip and immobilized Felicity in his hold.  Felicity’s indrawn breath told him she now understood.  Oliver stirred at her quick gasp.  She looked at him and shook her head._

_“Okay?” at Felicity’s second nod, Diggle continued. “Okay...normally, this move would be end game for you. But there is something you can do to get free and it will hurt.  I’m going to loosen my hold and Oliver is going to come over here and show you what you do while in this hold. The goal is to break free, turn, jab at the throat, incapacitate and then….”_

_“Run,” Felicity finished for him as Oliver walked over and met Felicity’s eyes._

_“This won’t hurt badly, not like this, but it will still hurt.  You’ll feel pain, Felicity.  I can show you the move with Diggle holding me, instead of you.”_

“ _No.  I need to know how to do this.  Watching isn’t the same as doing the moves myself.”_

_Oliver didn’t move for a long moment and then he nodded, and began moving her body, his fingers warm against the skin._

The first time Oliver showed her the moves, it hurt like hell.  It hurt the second time.  By the fifth time, she was doing it alone, the pain registering in her mind, but not controlling her.  God, did it hurt.  But that training was about to come in handy and while it would hurt ten times worse, she would be free.  Albeit with a dislocated shoulder, but she would be free and if she did this right, he would be on the floor gasping for breath.  The pain wouldn’t matter.  She would not let him take her.   She took another breath and right when she was about to move, Felicity felt his body move first.  He grunted and the hold on her relaxed enough for her to twist free.  The look on his face made her freeze.  He stared at her in surprise, his eyes confused.  She frowned.  His body jerked twice more and then to Felicity’s surprise, he fell to the ground at her feet.  She stared at the three arrows protruding from his back.   _Arrows_ , she thought numbly and her head jerked up to see Oliver standing in doorway of the shop.   _He came for me,_ was Felicity’s first thought and then she couldn’t think because she was in his arms.

Oliver’s hands were everywhere, assuring himself she was unharmed.  He tilted her head back and his thumb gently smoothed the scrape on her cheek.  She closed her eyes at the touch of leather, and turned to press a kiss to his palm.  The scent that was distinctly Oliver filled her senses, and relief swept over her.  She wasn’t alone.  

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” she whispered as Oliver continued to make sure she wasn’t hurt.  He didn’t say anything.  He lowered his head and covered her mouth with his in a hot, wild kiss.  Her lips parted in welcome and their tongues tangled and dipped as they tasted life.  Felicity clung to him, sinking into the feeling of his body pressed against hers and his hand cradling the back of her neck.  The terror of her day, the mass murders in the Glades, all of it faded away as she poured herself into his kiss.  His other hand pressed against the small of her back, pulling her tightly against him.  Felicity slipped her hands into the hood of his jacket to cup his face, love filling her as she gave back everything he was giving her.  Desperation, fear, relief, devotion, love….the kiss was everything that made them one, that made them _them._  It filled the air around them, weaving them together and it staggered her that he was as vulnerable as she and equally unashamed by his need for her.  He surrounded her, surrendering to her as much as she to him.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Oliver finally said as they broke apart and Felicity hiccupped a laugh as she rested her uninjured cheek on his chest.  She could hear the beating of his heart and it further soothed her.  His hands continued to stroke over any part of her body he could reach while holding her in his arms.

“I’m sorry I didn’t stay in the lair,” she replied, her hands petting his shoulders and arms.  Oliver pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“We can’t stay here,” Oliver said, his hands coming to rest on her hips, fingers clutching tightly. “He must have back up on the way.  Did he radio anyone when he found you?”

“No,” she said, after thinking for a moment.  “I didn’t hear him talking to anyone but me.”

“When he doesn’t check in, they will swarm his last known location so we need to be gone.”

“Where are we going?”

“The clock tower.  It’s not that far and closer than the warehouses,” Oliver said as they separated.  He pressed a hand to his ear while lacing their fingers together with his other hand, the need to keep touching her pressing on him.  “Diggle? I’ve got her. She’s fine.  Extraction point B.”

Oliver listened intently at whatever it was Diggle was saying.

“Give us two hours to get there then.”

“How do your comms work?” Felicity asked after he disconnected from Diggle.

“Lyla.”

Felicity nodded in understanding.  Oliver and Diggle were using A.R.G.U.S. resources, something she had been unable to do when the Cadre took down all cell and internet service to the Glades.

“Did they find the lair?” she asked, apprehension filling her.

“No, Felicity, they didn’t,” Oliver said, pulling her to him again.  He couldn’t stop touching her, holding her.  His hands swept up and down her back in slow sweeps, his fingers pressing against her spine.  He closed his eyes, remembering the surge of emotion he felt when he saw the man holding Felicity.  His vision had narrowed until he saw only them, his heart beating loudly in his chest.  He had been certain he could hear Felicity’s thoughts, knowing she was about to experience an incredible amount of pain.  From the way the man was holding Felicity, Oliver had an idea of what he was thinking.  Cold rage filled him and his movements became deliberate.  Measured.  He barely remembered releasing the three arrows.  His only thought was to drop the man who dared.  

“Your ruse worked.  They were searching the space, but not nearly as carefully as they would have if you hadn’t made it look like you were no longer in the building.  As it were, one of their other teams caught sight of you a few blocks away and they left club, leaving a few men behind. That was a risk, by the way.  Letting yourself be seen.”

“I know, but I had to.  I was worried they would find the second entrance.  I knew there was a chance that they would keep searching, but I thought if I could provide a distraction elsewhere in the Glades, maybe we wouldn’t lose the lair.  And more importantly, you and Diggle would still be safe.”

Oliver squeezed her tight, taking just a few more seconds to savor the feel of her body nestled against him.  The back of his neck itched and he knew they needed to move.  Pressing another kiss to her lips when she looked up at him, he stepped back.

“We have to go.”

She nodded and followed Oliver to the entrance.  He glanced down the street and saw men were slowly approaching from the far end.  If they didn’t move now, the men would spot them before they could get around the corner.  He pulled Felicity out and and they swiftly moved to the end of the street.  After ensuring the next street was clear, he pulled her around and they stuck to the shadows of the building as they moved quickly toward the center of the Glades and the clock tower.  At the next intersection, Oliver pulled Felicity into a dark ally, tucking her between his body and the wall.  She didn’t speak, hearing what Oliver had heard seconds before her.  A small team of men, passed their hiding place.  They needed to get off the streets.  Oliver didn’t move for several minutes, ensuring it was clear before stepped back out into the streets.  Oliver Felicity tapped on Oliver’s arm and then point up.  His eyes followed the line of her finger to the rooftops of the buildings across the street.  From what he could see at this angle, they connected almost to the center of the Glades with minimal gaps.  What he couldn’t see were any rooftop entrances.  Not from this angle.

“We have to fly,” he said in a low voice.  He shot a zip line arrow to the roof of the building across the street.  Securing it on his end, he held out his arm and Felicity stepped into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck.  She nodded, indicating she was ready.  

Oliver activated the pull, and they soundlessly flew into the air and onto the roof just as more of the Cadre’s army turned the corner.  Immediately dropping into a crouch, they moved into the shadows of the roof.  A shout came up from the street and then the sound of running boots pounding over the pavement echoed up to them.   Felicity didn’t need to hear the words to know they had been seen.  She and Oliver began running across the roof.  The gaps between these buildings were small and easy for Felicity leap over.  However, she found her energy quickly flagging.  Shortly after they began running, Oliver suddenly stopped and spinning around, he grabbed her around the waist, pushing her down to the roof, into the shadow of a large vent.  He covered her body with his own, just as a helicopter swept over the rooftop.  He was moving before she could catch her breath only to pull her back down on the very next roof.

“We can’t keep dodging the helicopter,” Felicity said breathlessly.  Oliver looked around, knowing she was right.  Two buildings down, he saw what he was looking for.  He pulled Felicity back up to her feet and they took off again, crouching low as they ran.  They leapt over the small gap only this time, Felicity’s flagging energy prevented her from completely clearing the gap and she stumbled, falling to her knees.  Oliver spun around, kneeling down beside her.  When she looked  up at him, he frowned.

“What’s wrong?” he said, tilting her head up to look at her face.  She was pale and sweating, her breath coming in sharp gasps.  She shook her head.

“Nothing.  I’m fine.  Let’s just get to the clock tower.  I can rest there.”

“You’re hurting.  Did that man in the store hurt you?  Are you hurt?”

Oliver began running his hands over her again, looking for obvious injuries.  He couldn’t find anything.   

“Oliver, I’m fine.  Just a little tired.  It’s been a long day. And...” she paused a minute, knowing that what she was about to say was going to piss Oliver off, “....I’m not quite recovered after purging the poison out of my system.”

Oliver stared down at her, thunder clouds forming in his eyes at her words.  At the sound of the helicopter, he pulled her over behind a large vent, hiding them from view.

“I don’t understand.  You were fine.”

“I’m still fine.  I was sick though.  That small sip….it was enough to make me sick.  So I made myself even sicker….Made myself throw-up.  Totally disgusting,” Felicity said, trying to make light.  “I just need to rest.  I can rest at the clock tower.”  

“Felicity….”

“Oliver,” she said, taking his hands in hers.  “I promise, I’m fine. Just tired.”

Oliver stared at her intently, his eyes searching.  He could see her exhaustion, but she wasn’t lying or trying to hide a condition that may be worse than what she described.  

“We won’t make it to the clock tower.  Not with that helicopter.  Like you said, we need cover.  There’s a building two down that has rooftop access from inside.  We can take cover in the building for a few hours or until the rooftop searches abate.”

Felicity nodded.  Oliver touched a hand to his ear.

“Diggle?  We need to take cover.  Where?”

Oliver turned back to Felicity and whispered, “He’s pinned down.  Can’t get to the clock tower.”

“Get back to the warehouses……. A.R.G.U.S. can extract you easier from there…..yes…..no…..Once it’s clear we’ll get to the clock tower.  I’ll make contact then.”

“Is he okay?” Felicity asked as soon as Oliver signed off.

“Yes.  The Cadre is setting up a city perimeter and they started on Diggle’s side of the Glades.  He could get through, but it’s better for him to regroup at the warehouses.  Lyla can easily get him there.  Doesn’t make sense for all of us to be trapped in the Glades.”

Oliver pulled her down again as the helicopter swept over them.  Looking up, he saw it was a different helicopter from the previous one.   _Great, they have two helicopters._

“Let’s go,” he said and taking her hand, he ran with her across the roof.  He leapt over the gap first and then turned, holding out his hand.  She followed and he pulled her to him, guiding her over to the next gap.  They leapt over this one together and made it to the small door he spotted earlier.  It was locked but he made short work of breaking in, and they pushed inside, closing the door and anchoring it shut behind them just as the helicopter swept right over the roof.  Felicity leaned against the wall, her eyes closed, panting slightly.

“That was close,” she whispered as she opened her eyes.  He cupped her cheek, noting the exhaustion in her eyes.  He motioned for her to stay behind him as they descended to the next level.  Oliver opened the door into a long hall.  They stepped out into the quiet dark, no lights to guide their way.  There were four doors on the left side of hall but none on the right.  Although it was dark, at the other end of the hallway, Felicity could just make out another opening to the left.  Felicity pulled out her phone to use the flashlight, but Oliver stayed her hand.

“We don’t know what’s behind the doors,” he whispered and she put her phone away.

“This doesn’t look like an apartment building,” Felicity whispered back as they slowly approached the first door on the left.  There was no number or letter on the door, or any signs to give them a clue of what lay behind it.  Oliver turned the knob, but it was locked.  He stepped back and bent to look at the lock.  He could pick it but there was something about this place.  Straightening, he looked up and down the hallway.  The old dusty carpeting with it’s diamond matelasse design and the generic beige wallpaper tickled his memory.  He suddenly had an image of him and Tommy running down these halls while waiting for Tommy’s mother.  He knew this place.

“I think I know where we are,” he said slowly and began walking down the hall quickly.  Felicity followed him to the end of the hall, turning to follow where the next hall led.  He quickly walked to the end where it opened up into a small foyer with a single elevator.  Another hallway branched to their left, and there, just past the foyer was a double-set of glass doors.  On the door, etched in black, it read, Merlyn Clinic for Women and Children.  In smaller writing, just below that, the name Rebecca Merlyn, M.D. was written.  The glass was covered in brown paper that was fraying at the edges.

“Oh,” said Felicity, her fingers tracing the words.  “She was a doctor.”

“Yes.  This was the clinic she opened after she married Malcolm.  She donated all of her medical skill to the children of the Glades until her death.  Twice a week she worked evenings at the free clinic just down the street to provide care to working parents who couldn’t afford to take time off from work during the day.  It was there that she was killed one night.”

“I can’t believe nobody has taken over her clinic.”

“I didn’t learn this until many years later, but after her death, Malcolm purchased the whole building and then shut it down.  He tried to shut down the clinic, but was unsuccessful.”

“That doesn’t seem right.  Closing down something she obviously believed in so passionately.”

“Malcolm was never the same after Rebecca died.  Overnight, he became callous and cruel although we didn’t know the extent of it until later.  The bruises were always well-hidden, but there were times Tommy couldn’t hide the pain he was in.  He lived with us for about a year after a beating that was particularly bad.”

“I don’t want to feel sorry for Tommy,” she said, her brow furrowed.  “It sounds like he lost both his parents the night his mother was killed.  That sounds….rough.  Especially for a child.”

“He did and it was.”

Oliver’s words were loaded with emotion and Felicity reached her hand out to his, linking their fingers together.

“We should be safe in there,” Oliver said, squeezing her fingers gently.  “This is one place the Cadre would never think to look for us.  There’s another door down here.  Sort of like an employee entrance.”

“What were those other doors?”

“Back exits from patient rooms.”

“Why?”

Oliver gave Felicity a look from behind the mask and then she understood.   She followed Oliver to the other door.  Oliver bent to one knee, studying the lock and then took a lockpicking kit from one of the pockets of his jacket.  In less than twenty seconds, he was opening the door.

“You are just full of hidden talents,” Felicity murmured as she went inside the office space.  Oliver’s lips quirked in response, his fingers brushing against the small of her back as she passed by him.

Inside, the air was surprisingly fresh.  Felicity couldn’t detect even a hint of mold or mildew.  She walked into the lobby area of the office, looking around in confusion.  There wasn’t a speck of dust on the receptionist’s counter, or on any surface for that matter including the faux flower arrangement reminiscent of arrangements popular in the early 90s.  A metal business card holder was half-full of cards and in the center of the high counter, another small stack of cards were neatly laid.  Chairs were covered with sturdy canvas covers, all clean of dust.  The carpet was worn, but also clean.  She turned around and noticed the glass-covered pictures on the wall glinted dully.  She looked around for the source of light and saw a small exit sign was illuminated.

“Oliver, there’s power in the building.”

“This is weird,” he observed as he moved down the hall to the four patient rooms.  “The place is clean, as if they were going to open at any moment.”

Felicity followed him, noting the cleanliness of the tiled floors in the rooms, the absence of dust motes.  As Oliver moved to clear the remaining exam rooms, Felicity paused outside an open door with Rebecca’s name on a placard fixed to the wall next to it.  She bit her lip at what she saw from the doorway.  It was a room frozen in time.  A pink cardigan sweater was draped across the back of a desk chair, a day planner open on the desk with a pen capped firmly beside it.  A mug, empty of residue, sat just to the right of the day planner; a small tin of tea waiting for it’s owner to come brew a single cup for comfort.  A half empty bottle of lavender scented lotion rested alongside framed photos lining the back of the desk.  Tommy and Rebecca, Malcolm and Rebecca, Tommy and Malcolm, even one of Tommy with Oliver.  The shelves were crowded with medical journals and small pieces of art, drawn in a child’s hand.  One wall was completely covered in children’s art, the words ‘thank you’ appearing in many of them.  She felt Oliver come up behind her, having checked the rest of the rooms.  She heard his quick indrawn breath at the state of the room, his hand coming to rest on her hip.

“It’s like she’s about to return at any moment.”

“The cards on the receptionist’s desk,” Felicity murmured and hurried back out to the waiting room.  She picked up the cards, and noted the date on the top most card.  Bringing the one back with her, she rejoined Oliver, handing him the card.

“The place is cleaned on a bi-weekly basis.  They were just here earlier this week.”

“Jesus,” Oliver said as he read the card.

“Amen,” Felicity remarked.  She saw another door at the opposite end of the hall.  

“What’s in there?”

“Linen closet.”

Felicity moved down the hall and opened it to find it well-stocked with linen.   _Fresh_ linen.

“Someone kept the linens fresh.  Which meant they had linen delivery.  I can’t decide if this is Malcolm...or Tommy.  Maybe both?”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if both but I’m thinking this is all Malcolm.  This place had to be preserved from the moment he closed it.  We were just kids.  I don’t know that Tommy even knows about this place.  He’s never mentioned it, although based on what I know now, that may not mean anything.”

“This is creepy,” Felicity said.  “Really creepy.  Are we safe here?”

Oliver didn’t say anything for a moment as he looked around the spaces.  It was a legitimate question.  Were they safe?  

“I think we are as safe as we can be anywhere in the Glades right now.”

“Do you think Malcolm or Tommy will know to search for us here?”

“I don’t know.  How would the Green Arrow or Felicity Smoak know about this place?  I didn’t even know about it and I grew up with the Merlyns.  I think, for now, we should be okay for a few hours.”

Oliver took a look at the four patient rooms, and chose the one at the end, closest to Rebecca’s office.  In addition to the door leading out to the back hall and stairwell, it also had a window that looked out over the front entrance to the building.  Oliver could keep watch and they could escape, if necessary, through either one.  Felicity took some blankets from the linen closet.  On a lower shelf, she saw some towels wrapped in cellophane and grabbed two stacks.  She followed Oliver into the exam room.  Once inside, Oliver closed the door and then moved the exam table to barricade themselves inside.  Felicity ripped open the plastic and then spread the towels on the floor, creating a thick layer on top of the cold tile.  She added a blanket.  And then set two blankets to the side.  She looked up suddenly.

“Did you hear that?”

Oliver immediately went on alert, picking up the bow he just set beside him.  He went to the window, peering through a rip in the brown paper to look down at the street, but didn’t see any vehicles.

“No,” Felicity said, “ _that._ ”

That’s when Oliver heard it, the click of a thermostat.

“The building is temperature controlled,” Felicity said in amazement.  She sat on the pallet she made, her shoulders curled inwards in exhaustion.  “Jesus, it’s been what? Twenty years since Rebecca died?  Twenty years of paying for an empty building.  It’s a shrine. It’s as if to let his place go was to acknowledge she was really gone.  It’s disturbing on so many levels, yet, in a way, it so…... _devotion_ , it speaks of devotion.”

“I would never have guessed.  Malcolm….” Oliver sighed, pushing his hood back and set his bow back by the window.   He removed his mask, pinching the bridge of his nose.  “Much like my father, he had other women.”

“You say that so casually.”

“It was casual.”

“Well,” Felicity said archly, as she sank down onto the pallet she made, “don’t think I’ll be so casual if you decide to follow in your father’s footsteps.  I’m lethal with an internet connection.”

Smiling softly, Oliver kneeled beside her, his face turning serious as he gazed at her.

“There will only ever be you for me,” he said as he guided her down onto the towels.  Her hand reached up to stroke his cheek.

“And you for me,” she returned, curling up on her side. Oliver spread the blanket across her.

“Shoes,” Felicity murmured but he shook his head.

“Keep them on,” he said kissing her lightly on the lips.  “Just in case.”

She nodded, eyes slipping close.  She sighed deeply.  Oliver brushed the hair from her cheek, fingers lingering.  Her lips curled upwards.

“Thank you for coming for me,” she whispered as she fell asleep.  Oliver leaned over and brushed his lips across her cheek.

“Always.”

* * *

Two hours later, the sound of the helicopters faded into the distance.  Another thirty minutes and still no sound of them.  Oliver looked at his watch.  It was just after midnight.  He contacted Diggle who confirmed the helicopters were down.  After briefing Diggle on their location, he turned the conversation to extraction.

“Where are you?” asked Oliver.

“A.R.G.U.S. safe house in the Glades.  Just learned about it,” Diggle said, his voice disgruntled that Lyla withheld information from him until it was absolutely necessary.  The balancing act Diggle and Lyla maintained in their relationship when it came to sharing information was often a source of great amusement to Oliver.  Tonight, though, it would have been nice to have known about the safe house earlier.

“I’ll send you coordinates.”

Oliver looked down at Felicity still soundly sleeping.

“I’m going to let her sleep another hour.  She was sick, Dig.  She needs rest.”

Oliver heard Lyla’s voice but couldn’t quite make out what she was saying.  Diggle came back on the line a moment later.

“Stay put.  I’m coming for you.  Apparently, there’s an underground garage beneath the safe house with any number of vehicles to choose from,” Diggle drawled sarcastically and this time, Oliver couldn’t help but grin.  “Let her rest here, without fear of discovery.  Thirty minutes.”

“Copy.  See you in thirty,” Oliver replied after a moment’s hesitation.  He disconnected and then kneeled beside Felicity to wake her.  Before he touched her, a noise out in the hall caught his attention.  He froze, his head turned toward the door.  Someone was outside, moving past their door.  He heard the sound of someone sitting and realized that whoever it was had gone in Rebecca’s office.  The low rumble of someone speaking filtered into the room.  Oliver looked down at Felicity and then back at the door.  He covered her mouth with his hand and her eyes flew open.  She didn’t try to speak, her eyes telling him she understood.  Removing his hand from her mouth, Oliver motioned to the door and then his ear.  She looked, head cocked to one side and then nodded when she heard the low murmur.  He motioned for her to stay where she was and she frowned.  Felicity grabbed his arm and pointed at the back exit.  Oliver shook his head.

 _Let’s just go,_ Felicity said with her eyes.

 _No.  If this is Tommy, I’m ending this now,_ Oliver replied with his own.

 _“It doesn’t just end with Tommy,_ she answered back, exasperation sparking in her eyes.

 _No, but it’s a start_ , Oliver replied, stubbornness sparking in his.  Felicity rolled her eyes but was immediately sober.  She nodded, indicating she would stay but her expression clearly told him that she would be outside with him if he was gone too long.

Rising, Oliver slipped his mask back on, and pulled his hood forward.  He soundlessly moved the exam table away from the door.  He was deadly serious about ending this now.  Activating the voice distorter, he picked up his bow and opened the door quietly and slipped out into the hall.  Notching an arrow, he moved over to the entrance of Rebecca’s office, the voice now audible and Oliver pulled his bow taut despite the surprise he felt.

At the sound of someone appearing in the doorway, Malcolm spun in Rebecca’s desk chair and came face to face with the Green Arrow.  Surprise etched across his patrician features and he stilled as he stared at the man he so long heard of but had never seen.

“I’m unarmed,” Malcolm said, keeping his hands visible.  There was no fear in his voice.

“I don’t care,” Oliver replied, keeping the arrow trained on Malcolm’s chest.

“They say you don’t kill anymore.”

“After what I witnessed today, there’s no guarantee I won’t release this arrow into your chest and enjoy doing so.”

“You won’t kill me,” Malcolm replied, his voice calmly confident.  “I have information you want.  I’m more valuable alive.”

Oliver didn’t answer as he tried to figure out why Malcolm was here.  The words he overheard as he approached the office door played back in his mind.   _I failed, Rebecca.  I failed you.  I failed our son.  He’s become a monster and I am to blame.  I died the day you were murdered.  The day my actions caused your death._  What actions?

“Is the rest of the Cadre here?”

“No.  I came alone.  They do not know of this place.”

“How did you get past the police blockade? Is there another way out of the Glades?”

“I’m a Merlyn.  The blockade doesn’t apply to me.”

There was no arrogance in Malcolm’s voice.  His answer was one he considered simple fact.  The laws didn’t apply to him. They never had.  His money and his position guaranteed authorities looked the other way.

“Tell me about the  Cadre,” Oliver asked, suddenly desperate to know what it was that enticed his parents to join an organization so bent on destroying the Glades.

“What do you want to know?”

“What is it’s purpose?”

“I no longer know.”

“Who started the Cadre?”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“To destroy the Glades in return for destroying my life.  For killing my wife.”

“So the Cadre’s purpose is to destroy the Glades?”

“It was.”

Oliver felt anger stirring at Malcolm’s cryptic responses.  He let his arrow fly and it thudded into the desk.  Malcolm’s eyes widened but still, there was no fear in his expression.

“Stop playing games,” Oliver ordered and Malcolm held up his hands.

“I’m not.  Our plan was to destroy the Glades, empty it of it’s people.  To take control and remake it into something better.  Tommy has a grander scheme in mind and I’ve lost whatever control I had left in the Cadre.  And tonight, I discovered I also lost my company.”

Oliver was stunned into silence.  Merlyn Global was no longer Malcolm’s?  

“What do you mean?”

“It would appear that my son has utilized his position in the Cadre to not only destroy the Glades and its people but me as well.  To take everything I had left; to leave me with nothing.”

Malcolm paused as he looked around his wife’s office.  Sorrow flitted briefly across his face but it was gone before he looked back at Oliver.

“I knew you were here.  Or at least I hoped,” he suddenly said and Oliver tensed.  From the corner of his eye, he saw Felicity slip soundlessly out from the exam room, her bag securely fastened across her body.  Her beanie was back in place.  She was ready to go.

“How?”

“The thermostat.  Your body heat triggered the thermostat.  Once it went on, it sent a notice to my phone.  It’s how I kept track of the cleaning crew and linen service.  I took a risk coming here.  Are you alone?”

“I don’t care about your risks.  Is anyone looking for you? Were you followed?” returned Oliver, ignoring his question.

“I don’t think so.”

That wasn’t enough for Oliver and he felt a sense of urgency at getting Felicity out of this building.  His mental clock told him he had ten minutes to get downstairs.

“Why were you looking for me?” Oliver asked.

“I want you to do something for me.”

“You are in no position to make demands of me.”

“Oh, my request is mutually beneficial. I want you to kill my son.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity comes up with a plan to entrap Tommy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end is coming near and I'm a bit sad to finish this version of Oliver and Felicity. I love where this story took me in my imagination and to see how all of you reacted to everything I've done has fed my "muse" over the year it's taken me to tell this story.
> 
> Thank you all for reading and for always sharing your thoughts in such a constructive, and positive, way!

* * *

 

_ "I want you to kill my son.” _

With her back to Oliver as she kept an eye on the front entrance to the clinic, Felicity couldn’t see his reaction.  As she began to look over her shoulder at him, she heard a body thud to the floor.  Felicity whipped around and stared at Oliver in shock as he stared into Rebecca’s office with a grim look of satisfaction.  His bow was down by his side, his other hand was empty.  Felicity counted the arrows in his quiver.   _ Dear God, what just happened _ , she thought as she rushed over to his side and stared inside the office.  Malcolm lay slumped over on his side, blood oozing slightly from his neck.  She gasped but Oliver didn’t look at her, focused on Malcolm as if he expected the man to suddenly rise up and start talking again.

“Oh, Oliver,” she sighed as she looked back down at Malcom’s body.  “Why?”

“I was tired of listening to him talk.  Plus, we didn’t really have time to engage in a battle of words.  Diggle will be here in under five minutes and the Cadre will likely be hot on his heels.”

“Wait,” Felicity said, holding up a hand.  “Diggle is still in the Glades?  And he has a car?”

“Yeah.  Apparently A.R.G.U.S. has a safe house in the Glades.”

Felicity gave Oliver an incredulous look, mumbling about how it would have been nice to know that earlier.  She turned back to Malcolm’s body, hands on her hips.

“Well, we can’t leave him here, Oliver.”

Oliver gave Felicity a ‘no kidding’ look as he stepped into the office.  He turned Malcolm over and started to lift him.

“Didn’t plan on it.  We’ll take him with us,” Oliver grunted as he hauled Malcolm over his shoulder.  He staggered a moment, balanced himself and then turned to the door.  Felicity sighed with exasperation and then began leading the way out.

“Couldn’t you have tranqed him once we were in the car?” Felicity asked as she moved ahead of him to open the door back out into the main hallway.

“It was either tranq him now, or start using my fists.  This was faster…..although not nearly as satisfying.  Besides, I doubt he would have come quietly.  I used one of the lower doses. He’ll be fine.”

“Elevator?” asked Felicity, stopping in front of the doors.  Oliver stopped and frowned.

“It requires a key,” he said, looking at the card reader used to call the elevator.  He looked at Felicity and she sighed loudly.  Moving behind Oliver, she began searching Malcolm’s pockets and found it tucked into the inside pocket of his coat.

“Anything else we need from his pockets is on you.  I’m not digging around his body anymore,” she shuddered as she scanned the card.  Oliver’s gave a faint smile at her disgruntled tone.  As they stepped into the elevator, he studied her face carefully, looking for any signs of illness.  She seemed fine.  More rested.  And beautiful.  Felicity caught his glance and her expression grew soft as she gifted him with a tiny smile before leaning forward to push the lobby button.

“I didn’t want him to see you,” he confessed suddenly.  “The idea of him discovering you there may have influenced my decision to tranq him.”  

“He can’t hurt me, Oliver,” Felicity said softly.  “You and Diggle made sure that no one can hurt me again.”

Oliver opened his mouth but before he could speak, the elevator doors opened into the lobby.  Oliver pressed a hand to his ear, activating his ear piece.

“Dig? We have one extra,” Oliver warned as he motioned with his head for Felicity to follow him.

“What about Malcolm’s car?” Felicity asked and Oliver shrugged as he listened to Diggle.  The front doors to the building were chained shut but Oliver made short work of them with a single, well-placed kick and they flew open, crashing against the walls on the outside.  Stealth didn’t matter.  Diggle was just around the corner and he was coming in hot.  He motioned for Felicity to stay back as he stepped outside.

Diggle came roaring up to the entrance in a squeal of tires, his window down, his arm waving frantically.

“Move, move, move!” he shouted and Felicity heard the sound of SUVs approaching.  She jumped into the back seat and quickly crawled to the front just as Oliver threw Malcolm in after her.  Diggle was moving before Oliver even shut the door, tires squealing as he floored it, the car jerking forward powerfully.  He put up his window, maneuvering around a corner so sharply, Felicity nearly collided into him.  She reached for her seat belt and clipped it just in time to see Oliver roll down his window to sit on the door, his upper body leaning out, his bow in hand.  He held on with one hand as he let his body move with the motion of the SUV, balancing effortlessly.  Looking behind her, Felicity saw three SUVs closing in on them.  

Diggle whipped around another corner and as he straightened the vehicle, Oliver released his hold on the edge of the door frame and notched an exploding arrow.  He took aim and just as the lead SUV turned the corner, he released the arrow into the front left tire where it exploded on impact, causing the SUV to fishtail and then spin, blocking the remaining SUVs. It didn’t stop them though, they ploughed through the disabled vehicle, continuing the chase.  

“Go right,” Oliver shouted and Diggle pressed his foot against the accelerator as he whipped right at the last minute.  Oliver held on tightly and once the vehicle straightened, took aim at the next SUV.  Felicity glanced at Malcolm and saw he was starting to stir.  His eyes blinked rapidly as he stared around him in confusion.  His hand reached for Oliver’s leg and Felicity unhooked her seatbelt and leaning back, she pulled a tranq dart from one of the side pockets of Oliver’s pants and then jammed it in Malcolm’s thigh.  He immediately slumped back down.  

“Nice,” Diggle said just as Oliver shouted for him to go right again.  Diggle took the very next right, the back of the vehicle fishtailing, tires squealing and Oliver let another arrow fly, taking out the final vehicle.  Diggle accelerated again, one eye on the rear view mirror.  He didn’t relax, not even when it was clear they lost their tails.

“What’s up with Malcolm?” Diggle asked as he zig-zagged his way through the Glades towards the safe house.  The car moved smoothly, nearly silent as he double-backed multiple times as an extra measure of caution.

“He was looking for Oliver.  Wants him to kill Tommy,” Felicity casually replied and Diggle huffed a laugh, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Man, that is one messed up family.  And you tranqed him because?” Diggle asked, glancing in his rearview mirror.

“He was talking too much.  I also didn’t want him to see Felicity.  I figured a few hours in an A.R.G.U.S. holding cell would get us the information we need to stop Tommy. Or perhaps a confession.  He’s part of this.  Just not the main part.”

“What more do we need?” Felicity asked, frowning.  “We know Tommy’s part of the Cadre.  Why not call the police now?”

“ _ We _ know he is, but we don’t have any evidence, and the Cadre controls the cops and the DA’s office which would explain the lack of information on the Cadre as they slowly moved in on the Glades.  It’s unlikely they’ll do any investigation into this.”

“We’ve known since my kidnapping the cops had some role. I didn’t realize how far the corruption spread.  What about the feds?  What about Mr. Cheung? Would he be willing to testify?”

“Tommy has his daughter.  He will only help us from behind the scenes,” Oliver replied, checking Malcolm to make sure he was still out.  He didn’t want him overhearing this conversation. 

“The feds, though,” Diggle mused, “may actually work.  If we use A.R.G.U.S. resources, we can be assured that we aren’t in touch with someone who may be controlled by the Cadre.”

“Wait,” Felicity interrupted.  “The Cadre doesn’t just have local reach, but national?”

“According to Mr. Cheung, the Kingstons are members of the Cadre.”

“The Kingstons?  Of the “I-went-to-high-school-and-was college-roommates-with-the- President-of-the-United-States” fame? Those Kingstons?”

“One and the same,” Diggle confirmed as he turned the car into a dark alley that appeared to dead end into a brick wall.  As he approached the brick wall, it smoothly slid open to the side and Diggle drove inside, the door closing behind them.  A concrete ramp sloped steeply downwards, descending beyond the headlights of the SUV.  As Diggle slowly drove deeper underground, Felicity’s body relaxed inch-by-inch until she audibly sighed.  Diggle tossed her a small smile.

“I felt the same way,” he said as he slowly followed the winding ramp until it opened into an underground garage.

“Is the safe house beneath ground?” Oliver asked as he lifted Malcolm back over his shoulder. 

“Parts of it.  It’s part of an old building that was once both shops and apartments.  Above ground is a dry cleaners, and a small coffee shop, both A.R.G.U.S. fronts, and then apartments for the agents that are stationed here.  There are other empty rooms for agents passing through, or for people like us and then there are a few, carefully selected civilians that reside here to ensure the place blends into the neighborhood.  Below ground are cells, more rooms, an armory, and a state of the art command center outfitted with the latest technology.”

The sound of a door opening had all three turning towards the other side of the garage.  Lyla strode out from an elevator, followed by two men.  She motioned to Malcolm.

“They’ll take him from here,” she said to Oliver who nodded as he passed Malcolm over to the men.  They led him to another door and disappeared behind it. “We’ll house him in one of the cells on this level.  I’m guessing you want to be present for his interrogation?”

“Yes,” Oliver replied.  “He may be able to give us evidence against Tommy. He should wake up in a few hours.”

“For a price, I’m sure,” Lyla added wryly before turning to Felicity.  “I’m glad you’re okay.  I have a doctor standing by.”

“I’m fine,” Felicity said, “but thank you.  Any progress on fixing the Glades water source?”

“No.  Starling City Water is refusing to reconnect the water lines until they can ensure there is no possibility of further contamination or that the contamination won’t backwash into their system.”

“So the Glades is still without water. What about the barricade?  Is relief aide coming in?”

“No.  Police won’t lift the barricade and the Governor has determined that there is no need to send in the National Guard.”

“Violence will escalate,” Diggle pointed out and Lyla lifted her hands, her eyes sparking in anger.  Her voice was furiously quiet, speaking to her frustration at how little she could do; how little A.R.G.U.S. could do.

“You think I don’t know that?  We can’t get involved until authorized, and right now, the country is turning a blind eye to what is quickly becoming the mass murder of thousands of people.”

“What will it take for A.R.G.U.S. to get involved?” Oliver asked as they stepped into the elevator.  He pushed his hood down, but left his mask on.  He didn’t intend to reveal himself to Lyla’s people.  He trusted only three people with his secret and they were all on this elevator with him.

“An order from the President,” Lyla replied.  Felicity thought she was joking until she realized that Lyla was deadly serious.

“Let me get this straight,” Felicity began slowly.  “The Glades has no water, the survivors are on the edge of violence, the blockade is still in effect, relief is being denied, and quite literally, no one is coming to help.”

“We’re here,” Diggle pointed out and Felicity rolled her eyes at him.

“Yes, but there are only three of us and an entire army of  _ them _ .  Lyla, what do you need to act without the President’s order?”

“Enough evidence that this isn’t just a gang-related stunt.  Evidence that this rises to the level of domestic terrorism.  Then I can act without an order.”

Before anyone could respond, the elevator opened.  As Oliver pulled his hood back up, Felicity stepped out, staring through the glass doors in front of her in awe.  She pushed open one of the doors, and stepped into the room.  The techs noticed her immediately and there was a brief moment of silence as they registered her presence.   Whispers started almost immediately when the techs realized who she was.  Felicity turned in a slow circle, trying to take everything in at once, but her mind was dazzled by the sophistication of the set-up and the tech that called to her.  Dominating the command center was an elaborate set up on the far wall, with equipment so advanced that most were only rumored to exist.  On the other side were two hologram tables; one with an image of the truck depot turning in response to the motion of the tech’s hands, and another with a map of the Glades.  Opposite of that was another set of systems, and Felicity quickly realized it was a weapons station.  And satellites.  Lovely, lovely satellites.  Felicity’s fingers twitched.

“I can do that,” she said as she looked around.  Her voice was breathless from both anticipation at getting her fingers on the equipment all around her and excitement at what she would be able to do. 

“Do what?” Lyla asked.

“Get you evidence.  Real evidence.”

“How?”

“Give me an hour with that,” Felicity said pointing to the one system that had her mouth watering.  “Maybe less.  I bet less.  Oh yeah.  Definitely less than an hour.

“Can we watch?” said a tech and Felicity suddenly realized that the whispers her mind registered but didn’t hear were about her.  She blushed as she nodded.  Lyla smiled.

“It’s all yours,” Lyla said, making a sweeping motion with her hand.

“After the doctor,” Oliver said suddenly, taking her hand and leading her away from the command center.

“I don’t need a doctor.”

“Go see the doctor, Felicity,” Diggle said, crossing his arms and blocking her from turning back around.

“But - ”

Oliver leaned forward, his lips against the curve of her ear.  His breath was warm against the sensitive skin behind her ear and she shivered at the contact.  His body instinctively curved around her, surrounding her in his heat.  She tilted her head to the side as she peered up at him beneath the hood.  Oliver pressed his lips against her neck before whispering in her ear. 

“Please.  I need this.”

Ignoring the startled looks from a few of the techs who finally noticed him, Felicity lifted a hand to his cheek, the stubble tickling her fingertips.  She looked into his eyes, and saw the worry hovering at the edges.  It was probably a good idea to see the doctor.  She could do this for him.  If she still had the drug in her system, better to know now and do what needed to be done to get it out.  She nodded in agreement and Oliver’s smile was relieved.  She gave the computer she was itching to try one last longing look before turning back to Lyla.

“Take me to the doc, Lyla and then get me back here.”

* * *

 

Tommy stood at the windows of his father’s….no,  _ HIS _ office….staring out over the Glades.  He took a sip of his celebratory drink, a smiling hovering at the corners of his lips.  Everything was going according to plan, or the plan he put into effect without the Cadre.  The Glades was about to burn, Merlyn Global was his, and he was poised to become the most powerful man in Starling City.  He briefly contemplated continuing his power grab by seizing QC from Oliver but dismissed the thought as quickly as it formed.  Once the Glades were completely his, not even QC could rival him. Besides, Oliver wasn’t responsible for what his mother had done.  Oliver likely had no clue of the role Moira played in Rebecca’s death.  No, he would let Oliver keep QC.  It would be his gift to Oliver.  A way to apologize for taking his mother without having to confess his role.  There would be no satisfaction of taking QC now without Moira to experience the pain.  

“Sir?”

“Do you have her?” asked Tommy as he continued to observe the Glades.  He watched as one of the Cadre’s helicopters made a sweep around the edges, the spotlight searching the rooftops.

“No, Sir.  But she remains in the Glades.  Along with the Green Arrow.”

“So he showed?”

“Yes, and found her just before we did. He took down one of our men before he could radio us.  When he didn’t check in, we went to his last known location.  He had three arrows in his back.”

“So they’re hiding in the Glades,” Tommy mused.  He took another sip, contemplating his next move.  Felicity was a loose end.  The Green Arrow another.  He needed to take out both.  Apparently finding them, though, would be an issue.  He wondered where Oliver was in all of this.  Did he know that Felicity was with the Green Arrow?  Tommy suddenly frowned.  Was Oliver with them?

“Did anyone actually lay eyes on the Green Arrow and Ms. Smoak?”

“Yes, Sir.  We saw them from the street.  They were on the roof.  We called in for air support, and helicopter continues to search.”

“No sign of Mr. Queen?”

“No, Sir.  If you’ll give me just a moment…..”

Tommy turned and watched as the man in front of him consulted information on a small handheld.

“What’s that?”

“Comms, Sir.  We discovered another signal on our satellite line.  We suspect that Ms. Smoak was using the same satellite line.  If so, it would explain how she was initially able to stay ahead of us.  To be on the safe side, we established new comms on a secure network.  These were distributed to every team lead.”

“Which satellite are you using now?”

“Ms. Rochev provided access codes to the military satellites developed by QC’s Applied Sciences Division.  They have no idea we are tied in.  It’s unlikely Ms. Smoak will be able to track us.”

“Very good.”

“Sir, in regard to your question about Mr. Queen.  According to the team keeping an eye on him and Miss Queen, Mr. Queen returned home and has not left.”

Tommy turned back to the windows, pulling out his cell phone to call Oliver.  It went straight to voicemail.  No surprise there.  Since Moira’s death, most of Oliver’s calls went straight to voicemail.  But still, with Felicity trapped in the Glades, he was certain that Oliver was monitoring his phone.  After a moment’s thought, Tommy called Thea.

“Thea, I’m trying to reach Oliver. Is he around?”

“He’s on the phone, Tommy.  He’s trying to convince the airport to let him fly a helicopter into the Glades to get Felicity. She’s trapped.”

“Can you pull him away?”

“Hold on…..”

Tommy waited a moment and heard Thea speak to someone.  A low voice answered and there was a small back and forth.   _ So he is stuck at home _ , Tommy thought.

“He said he’ll call you back, Tommy.  Can you help?  You have contacts everywhere.  Maybe you could make some calls?”

“Of course!  I’ll start right now, Thea,” Tommy lied.  “Tell Oliver to call me as soon as he can.”

Tommy hung up and stared thoughtfully over the Glades.  What would it take to draw Felicity out?  What would make her surrender?  Tommy glanced back down at his phone and then back over the Glades.  An idea began to take shape.

“She’s on one of our satellite signals?”

“She was, Sir.  We haven’t heard anything from her since the Green Arrow showed, but it would surprise me if she wasn’t monitoring it.”

“Get me an earpiece.” 

* * *

 

Thea hung up the phone and turned to the guard standing by the front door.  He, and a second man that bore a striking resemblance to Oliver, had arrived on her doorstep minutes after Oliver left to get Felicity from the Glades.  The one that looked like Oliver had embraced her on the doorstep, pushing past her surprise to lead her back into the house.  They explained they were here to protect her and to lead anyone watching the house into believing that Oliver was home.  When Thea asked why anyone would be watching the house, neither man answered her.

“Can you reach my brother?” she now asked the other guard, rubbing her forehead.

“Yes.”

“Let him know that Tommy Merlyn is looking for him.”

The guard gave her a long look, her sudden questions about the weather making sense to him.  He gave a slight smile at her ingenuity as he pulled out a phone, immediately relaying the information to whomever answered.  He listened a moment and replied in the affirmative.

“Your message will be delivered,” the guard said after hanging up.  He turned, intent on making another round of the house.  The faux-Oliver was inside the study, occasionally making his form seen in the window to anyone who may be outside.  Thea shook her head, wondering how her brother knew these men.

“Who are you?” Thea asked, realizing she was slowly being introduced to a side of her brother she was certain he took great pains to hide from her.  The guard didn’t say anything which didn’t surprise her at all.  

“Never mind,” she sighed, “but can you tell me if he’s alright?  Is Felicity alright?”

“They are fine,” he answered after a moment’s hesitation.

“Thank you,” she whispered before disappearing back upstairs to her room.  Once she was alone, Thea sank down onto the edge of her bed, chewing on her thumbnail.  She stared at the muted television without seeing it.  Her mind worked furiously as she began to puzzle out the strange connections of her brother.  Turning the pieces over in her mind, she let them take shape as a suspicion took root and began to grow.

* * *

 

“Message from Thea,” Lyla said in a low voice, making sure no one in the command center could hear her.  Oliver and Diggle were looking over the map of the Glades, trying to identify a good site to set up resource station.  Without help coming from the Governor, Oliver decided that QC would bring in supplies for survivors.  While the river and roads were cut off from incoming traffic, the skies remained clear despite the Glades being named a no-fly zone.  Oliver wasn’t concerned about that one obstacle, especially since helicopters were flying over the Glades at this very moment.  Felicity was still with the doctor who decided to run some additional tests, and Oliver was trying to distract himself from the worry brewing in his mind.

“Is she alright?” Oliver asked, turning away from the table while keeping his face hidden in the hood.  It was starting to irritate him but so long as he was around people who didn’t know his real identity, it was a necessity.  

“She’s fine.  The two guards I sent arrived just after you left and as far as the city, or anyone else watching knows, you’re inside the house.  Tommy called, wanting to speak with you.  She convinced him you were unavailable.  My man on site thinks it may be a good idea for you to return his call.”

“Cell service is working in Starling City?”

“Yep.  Seems the phone company merely cut the Glades off,” Lyla replied, handing him a phone.  “It’s connected with your cell number so it will pop on his caller I.D. as you.”

“Can he trace it?”

“No.  Even if he could, it would show that you were at home.  Actually, I think the only person who could trace it is Felicity.”

“Nice,” Oliver said and he turned away to make the call, slipping deeper into the shadows in the corner of the command center.  He kept his voice low as he spoke to Tommy..

“How’s Felicity?” Diggle murmured and Lyla sighed.  She pulled Diggle further away from Oliver.

“The doctor says there is still a trace amount of the drug in her, but her body seems to be fighting it.”

“He’s not going to like that,” Diggle commented with a nod in Oliver’s direction.

“I know.  But she truly is fine.  The doctor said her quick thinking to make herself sick is likely a large reason as to why she’s not more affected.  That, and the fact she didn’t drink much of the water.  She just needs rest.  She’s refusing, hence the I.V.”

“How are  _ you  _ feeling?” asked Diggle, his face concerned.  Lyla smiled softly, resting her hand against the small bump noticeable to only her and John.

“Wonderful,” she replied, her face aglow.  Diggle pulled her into his arms, and kissed her.  She pressed against him, wrapping her arms around his waist.  Two of the techs nearby quickly looked away, but Lyla saw their smiles.  

“When this is over,” she breathed against his mouth. “We are going far, far away for at least a week. Maybe two.”

“Baby moon?” Diggle smiled, nibbling at her lips.

“Definitely.”

They smiled at one another before reluctantly separating.  Oliver turned back towards them, holding the phone out to Lyla.

“Keep it,” she said.  “You may need it again while you’re here.  What did he want?”

“Not sure.  I think he was trying to discern if I was with Felicity.  Kept asking if I heard from her or seen her.  I’m not sure what game he is playing.”

“I don’t like that Tommy called Thea,” Diggle replied and Oliver nodded.

“I also called Thea to let her know we were fine.  She asked a few very pointed questions.  She suspects something.  I may have to tell her about all this.”

“If I know Thea, she pressed pretty hard.”

“She did until I asked her to coordinate relief operations for the Glades.  The idea of being able to do something to help immediately distracted her.”

“That was smart.  Keep her busy so she ask questions, or worry.” 

“It’ll work….for now.”

Diggle looked at Lyla and motioned over to Oliver with his head.  She frowned and he jerked his head again.  She sighed.

“There’s something else,” Lyla began,  “you should know that the doctor found traces of the drug still in Felicity’s system.”

“What?!?” Oliver exclaimed, whirling around.

“She’s fine -” But Lyla was speaking to Oliver’s back.  He was already halfway down the hall toward the clinic. Diggle shook his head and gave a low whistle.

“That poor doctor,” Diggle said and Lyla laughed.

“I’m more worried for him….he’ll try to put Felicity to bed.  You know how that will go over.”

Diggle and Lyla exchanged a look and then both hurried after Oliver.  This wasn’t something they wanted to miss.

* * *

 

“The idea came to me while we were at Rebecca’s medical office,” Felicity explained as she took over one of the large screens in the command center that was now empty of everyone but them.  The screen immediately filled with images of what appeared to be banking records.  She dragged an I.V. pole with her as she moved to stand in front of the screen.  Felicity caught Oliver’s glare and she immediately gave him a sunny smile.  Oliver snapped his teeth at her in response, so she winked.  He growled and Felicity struggled to hold back a laugh.  According to the doctor, there was only a trace of the drug left in her system.  The doctor had been hooking up the I.V. when Oliver came barreling in, insisting she get to bed immediately.  Felicity didn’t hesitate, immediately refusing.  Her refusal led to an intense disagreement with Oliver.  One that Lyla and Diggle watched with great interest and big smiles.  If she were honest, the disagreement was incredibly exhilarating and it took all of Felicity’s self-control not to jump Oliver, despite the presence of other people.  It was made even more difficult when she saw the answering response in Oliver’s eyes.  

Right now, Oliver was grumbling under his breath about tossing her over his shoulder and carrying her to one of the safe rooms so she could sleep.  Yet, he didn’t move from where he stood, waiting for her to show them what she found.   _ God, I love this man _ .  Her thoughts must have shown on her face because his expression softened as he watched her. A hint of smile tugged at the corner of his lips and Felicity’s eyes sparkled back at him.   She made him a promise with a slow wink, and she watched him tense in reaction.  She smirked.

“Uh, Felicity, is that what I think it is?” asked Lyla, frowning as she reviewed the documents on the screen.  Felicity returned her attention to the screen and nodded.

“If you think these are records of transfers between banks in the Caribbean and Switzerland, then yes.”

“You were able to hack into multiple banks renowned for their cyber security?”

“Um, well, yes?  I thought you understood what I was going to do when I said I wanted to use that beautiful machine.”

“No.  I mean, yes.  I mean….God, none of my people have come close to getting through their firewalls and in just a few short months, you’ve accessed our satellite multiple times, hacked the FBI database, perused QC systems and now this…..Felicity, what would it take for you to come work for me?  I’ll give you anything you want.  This entire command center, even.”

“How did you know about the FBI? I’m certain I didn’t leave a trail,” Felicity replied, her eyes lighting up at the idea of being given the command center.

“Please.  So what will it take?”

“Nothing,” Oliver and Diggle said at the same time.

“Shush, I’m not talking to either of you.”  

“She’s on our team,” Diggle said, poking at Lyla.  She swatted at his finger and he laughed.  It felt odd, this teasing among friends, considering what was going on just above them.  Yet, Diggle wouldn’t trade these small light-hearted moments for anything.  Seeing his friend relax, Felicity safely with them...yeah, he’ll take these moments and hold on to them tightly.

“She’s not leaving,” Oliver said sternly, not even the ghost of a smile on his face but Felicity heard the humor in his voice. 

“I believe I’m the one who decides where I belong,” Felicity pointed out, about to turn back to teh screen when Diggle spoke.

“You belong with us, Felicity.  There is no decision to make,” Diggle said, smiling fondly at her and Oliver nodded in agreement.  Felicity couldn’t stop the smile that crossed her face even if she wanted to.  She ducked her head, suddenly embarrassed at the well of emotion that bubbled within her at Diggle’s words.  For so long, after losing her mother, she had been alone in this world.  Oh, she wasn’t without friends, but they were always just that….friends, not family.  Until now.

“Anyway,” she said, clearing her throat, “as I was saying, the idea came to me while we were at Rebecca’s.  Money always leaves a trail, even when safely protected by some of the world’s strictest privacy regulations.  These records show a trail of money from an account in Starling City to a Swiss bank almost rabid in its protection of their clients privacy.”

“Tommy’s account,” Oliver said, a spark of hope in his voice but Felicity shook her head.

“No.  I’ve been searching for a money trail under Tommy’s name for days.  But tonight, I had an idea and it paid off.  The account is in Rebecca Merlyn’s name.  Once a transaction is initiated, the money moves through at least three banks, sometimes four.  The activity is frequent and some coincide with arrival of certain ships from China as well as gang fights in the Glades. The last account it lands in is a Swiss bank with a branch in Verbier.” 

Felicity looked at Oliver expectantly but he stared at her blankly, having no idea why that should mean something to him. 

“Are you kidding me?” Felicity asked incredulously.

“What?”

“Oliver! Your family owns a chalet in Verbier.”

“We do?” Oliver frowned and then his face cleared.  “That’s right! I’d forgotten about the chalet. I haven’t been there in years.”  

“Seriously? You forgot your family owned a chalet at one of the most exclusive ski resort towns in the world?”

“Yeah, Oliver tends to be oblivious to how rich his family really is,” Diggle said wryly. 

“I can’t believe you forgot about a Swiss chalet,” Felicity said, a look of disbelief lingering on her face.  “In any event, in addition to the money moving to other accounts, money is also withdrawn at that bank, in person.  Who do you think uses your chalet at least twice a year?”

“Tommy,” Oliver answered immediately and Felicity nodded.  Oliver and Diggle immediately looked at Lyla.

“Any surveillance video?” asked Lyla.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any video showing Tommy at the bank.  I can’t find a single street camera in Verbier and, surprisingly, the cameras inside the bank are not online.  But, those visits are all within the time frame of the Cadre’s take over of the Glades.”

“Is this enough?” Diggle asked Lyla. She didn’t answer right away.  Studying the banking records and then the flight manifests Felicity also pilfered from the airlines.

“No,” she finally said.  “It’s still circumstantial.  Even coincidental.  The account in Rebecca’s name definitely helps.  But still, it doesn’t specifically tie either one to the transactions.  At the other end, we have no idea who has access to the accounts.  We need a direct connection.”

Felicity sighed, turning her head to study the information on the screen.  She examined what she did have, flipping through screens, trying to think what more she could do in such a short time frame.  She could continue sifting through the bank records but trying to determine the name or names behind the numbered accounts would take more time.  Time they didn’t have.

“He’s been incredibly careful,” Diggle said in a frustrated voice.  “For years, Tommy’s covered his tracks. Not one slip.”

“Not a one.  Since I came home, I was oblivious to this side of Tommy.  I never saw it.  Yes, he has been careful.  Exceedingly so,” Oliver added, pacing away from the screens.  Impatience clawed at him.  They were so close yet the end remained just out of reach.

“Except with me,” Felicity suddenly said, straightening from the table she was leaning against as she reviewed the information. “He’s taunted me from the moment he met me.  It’s a game to him; trying to break me. Frighten me.  Small hints and clues right up until the day he murdered Moira.”

Felicity glanced at Oliver, knowing that what she was about to say would likely send him over the edge.  While he hid it well, he was worried about her.  And afraid.  He was still feeling guilty for her being trapped in the Glades regardless of the fact it wasn’t his fault.  Oliver’s innate talent of occasionally living in the “what ifs” was one of the many things Felicity loved about him.  It was also one of the many frustrating things about him.  If Lyla and Diggle thought their disagreement over the I.V. was hilarious, they were about to get a real treat.

“No, he’s never been careful with me,” Felicity repeated.  “In fact, I’m probably the only one he would actually talk to.”

“What are you saying, Felicity?” asked Lyla, already knowing the answer.  She eyed Oliver, wondering if he realized what Felicity was about to suggest.  The way he was staring at Felicity told Lyla he was starting to get the idea.

“Tommy likes to brag about what he’s done.  Especially to me.  So, we give him what he wants. Me.”

There was just a fleeting moment of silence as both Oliver and Diggle straightened and moved towards Felicity, surrounding her.  Anger and worry vibrated off both of them as they glared down at Felicity.  Lyla arched a brow in admiration as Felicity stood her ground between two very dangerous men, both of whom would wipe the face of the earth to protect the woman who just offered herself up on a silver platter.  

“Abso-fucking-lutely not,” Oliver practically yelled.  Diggle didn’t say anything; just crossed his arms across his chest and continued to glare at her.  Felicity straightened her shoulders, digging her heels in.

“Putting emotion to the side,” Felicity said with a pointed look at Oliver, “you know it’s the right move.  Tommy  _ talks _ to me.  He’s so arrogant, so sure that I’m weak, he’ll say anything.  This time, we’ll have video and audio.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Diggle said.  “Nope, not happening.”

“Look, I didn’t say it wouldn’t be dangerous.  But I wouldn’t truly be alone.  The two of you will be in my ear, the way I’m in your ears when you go out into the field.”

“Tommy wants the Green Arrow as much as you.  We’ll give him me,” Oliver decided but Felicity just shook her head.

“He won’t tell you the things he told me.  Don’t you see?” Felicity said, placing her hand on Oliver’s arm and looking up at him earnestly. “He’s fascinated with me.  He wants to brag about what he’s done.”

“Turning yourself over to a madman is not the answer,” Diggle replied.  “He’s unpredictable which makes protecting you unpredictable.  Anything could go wrong.”

“Exactly,” Oliver agreed.  “We won’t be in control.”

“Unless I turn myself over to him.  Then we would be in control.  We just need to figure out how I get to him.  If I just voluntarily surrender, he’ll be suspicious.”

“We don’t need to figure anything out because we are not doing this,” Oliver said, his tone brooking no argument.  Felicity dropped her hand from his arm and pushed between the two men, dragging her I.V. poll behind her.   Irritation swirled in her eyes as she turned back to them, her free hand on her hip.  

“We are doing this.  You and Diggle have spent months not just training me to defend myself physically, but also mentally.  You’ve taught me how to control my fear and to not surrender to panic.  This is what I’ve been working towards; finishing this chapter of my life.  I want this to be over.  I want to know that the man who thought my life was so disposable is behind bars.  The fastest way to end this, all of this, is to connect him directly and what better way with a confession?”

“And then what?  Once Tommy is finished bragging about all his great evil deeds, then what?”

“You and Diggle get me out,” Felicity said, a little less certainly.  That was likely the mos dangerous part.  Oliver and Diggle couldn’t get too close to tip Tommy off to their presence, but they needed to be close enough to prevent Tommy from actually harming her.

“Felicity, it is too dangerous.  He could hurt you before I could get to you.  Do you know what that would do to me?” Oliver said, taking her by the shoulders.  This was suddenly about more than handing her over to Tommy.  It was suddenly about them and their lives together.

“How do you think I feel every time you leave to go on patrol?” Felicity rejoined softly.

“That’s different,” Oliver protested.  

“Why? Because I’m a woman?”

“No!  Dammit!  The difference is that I’ve had years and years of training.  I know a dozen ways to kill a person without leaving a mark.  What we’ve taught you, doesn’t even begin to compare.  Right now, we’ve taught you how to get an advantage to give you a head start so you can run.  You won’t be able to do that in this situation.”

“Tommy Merlyn thinks he’s going to kill me.  He’ll tell me everything, answer every question I ask.  He won’t be able to help himself.  His ego will be his undoing.  This will work.  I know it will.”

Diggle cocked his head to the side, looking between Oliver and Felicity.  He didn’t like the idea but that didn’t mean Felicity wasn’t right.  It was the fastest way to bring this to a close.  They could control this if they moved carefully; planned carefully.  And if they had a little more back up.  He motioned to Lyla.

“You can’t get directly involved, but how much support can you give us?” he asked and Oliver looked at him sharply.

“I can give you a team of four, plus me.”

Diggle opened his mouth to protest, thinking of their baby, but immediately closed it at the expression on her face.

“Diggle, you can’t be seriously considering this?” Oliver said in protest, dropping his hands from Felicity’s shoulders as he turned towards Diggle.

“Oliver,” Felicity said and moved in front of him.  She looked up at him and Oliver stared down at her, the fear in his face tugging at her heartstrings. Diggle and Lyla moved away, giving the couple some privacy.

“I can do this,” Felicity said quietly.  “I will follow every direction you and Diggle give me.  I will not take any additional risks.  You will keep me safe.”

“Felicity, if he hurts you, takes you from me…..I don’t know that I would ever recover.”

“You won’t let that happen.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I have faith in you.  In us.”

Oliver cupped her face between his hands, staring down at her intently.  Concern turned his eyes the color of midnight and deep within Felicity saw his very real fear of losing her as he lost his mother.  It would be a living nightmare.  She knew this because to lose him was her own living nightmare.  She brushed her fingers over his brow, smoothing away the deep frown lines.  Rising on tiptoe, she pressed her lips to his, caressing his lips softly.  His return kiss was achingly tender, an expression of love and surrender.

“I have worked so hard to get here, Oliver.  We can end this.  And this is how.”

Resting his forehead against hers, Oliver closed his eyes.  Every fiber of his being rejected the notion of sending her into the lion’s den.  The thought of her alone with Tommy scared him like nothing ever had in his entire life.  Yet, she was right.  She did work hard to get to this point, surviving a terrible moment in her life with grace and dignity; facing her fears and nightmares, taking control of her life so that her life didn’t control her.  Pride in her warred with fear for her.  Yet….she was right.

“You go in armed.  You follow every direction Diggle and I give you.  And you don’t go alone.  That one is non-negotiable,” Oliver said firmly when she stirred in objection.  She arched a brow but merely nodded.  She smiled at him brilliantly and he gave her a rueful look.  Felicity looked over to where Lyla and Diggle were speaking quietly

“Lyla,” she called.  “I’m going to need to borrow some equipment.”

Before Lyla could answer, she spotted one of her agents coming towards the command center.  She quickly motioned to Oliver, who turned away and pulled up his hood.

“Ma’am? I apologize for the interruption.  The satellite channel you told us to monitor? Tommy Merlyn is on right now.”

The tech held up the ear piece that Felicity had turned over to them for monitoring.

“Who is he talking to?” Lyla asked.

“No one, Ma’am.  He calls for Miss Smoak and then waits a few moments before calling again.”

Oliver’s head dropped as he realized they were out of time.  Diggle drew closer, resting a hand on Felicity’s shoulder.

“Are you ready for this?” he asked and Felicity looked up at him solemnly.  She nodded.  She turned to Oliver who nodded as well.  Lyla held her hand out and the agent handed her Felicity’s comm unit.  Right after the agent left, the comm unit vibrated. Felicity took it from Lyla and activated it, putting it on speaker.

“I know you’re there, Felicity.  I suggest you answer.”

The four of them shared a look.  Taking a breath, Felicity answered.

“Hello, Tommy.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity surrenders to Tommy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So close to the end!!! Thank you all so much for your support as I wrote this story and for hanging in there between the long periods between updates. I'm so glad you enjoyed what I've written!

* * *

“Felicity, Felicity….Felicity,” Tommy sighed, lingering over her name as a lover might do.  Oliver clenched his fists as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.  There was a seductive quality to Tommy’s voice that raked against his skin like sandpaper.  Yet, his tone was no different than how he addressed Felicity before and once again, Oliver cursed himself for being so blind.  He glanced at Felicity who showed no reaction to Tommy’s tone.   _ Because she’s been suffering through it since the moment she met him face-to-face, you idiot _ .

“You can’t hide in the Glades forever.  I will find you,” Tommy continued silkily. Felicity counted to three before responding.

“Really?  So, how’s that going for you so far?” Felicity asked with feigned boredom.  Diggle smirked and the corner of Felicity’s mouth curled in response.  Oliver shook his head.   _ Don’t antagonize him, _ he mouthed at Felicity.   _ I have to _ , she mouthed back before focusing back on Tommy.

“It’s easy to be brave when you’re in hiding, isn’t it?  You should be careful though.  You, better than anyone else, know what I’m capable of.”

“You reached out to me, Tommy.  What do you want?” Felicity asked, ignoring Tommy’s reference to her time as his captive.

“Are you alone or is our friend in green listening?”

“I’m alone.  We parted after we evaded your helicopters,” Felicity lied and Tommy laughed.

“You’re a terrible liar, Felicity.”

“What do you want, Tommy?” she asked again and Tommy sighed as if he were disappointed that Felicity wasn’t rising to his taunts.

“You, of course.  And the Green Arrow.”

“I’m sorry, we’re not available at the moment.”

Oliver gave Felicity an exasperated look which she returned with a shrug.  Lyla smothered a snort.

“Do you think this is a joke?” Tommy snarled and the rage in his voice was exactly what Felicity was waiting for.

“No.  Far from it.  What I think is that you’ve gone completely ‘round the bend, killing innocent men, women, and children for whatever sick power struggle you’re playing.”

“THEY ARE NOT INNOCENT!”

Felicity didn’t reply, the sound of Tommy’s harsh breathing filling the silence.   _ Score one for me _ , she thought.   She could almost hear Tommy gathering his self-control.

“You will,” Tommy began, speaking in carefully measured tones, “turn yourself over to my men.”

“No, I will expose you and end your destruction of the Glades,” Felicity countered.  Tommy laughed and there was nothing joyous about it.  It was the laughter of a hunter who believed he had his quarry right where he wanted.

“You will turn yourself over to me.  You won’t hesitate because if you don’t, Oliver will meet the same fate as his mother.  And if you continue to refuse, Thea will be next.  I will wipe the Queen family out of existence.”

Oliver blinked in surprise.  Rage filled him and he saw red at the threat to Thea’s life.  Blindly, he reached for the earpiece, ready to launch a blistering response.  A large hand covered his mouth, and strong arms held him back.  He grunted, but the person holding him didn’t budge.  Diggle.  Felicity paled but she didn’t break.  Despite the hitch in her breathing, she stayed focus.

“You would kill your best friend?  The man you claim is more a brother to you?”

“No.  You will.  By your refusal.  His death will be on your hands.  Certainly not mine.”

Oliver struggled to free himself, but Diggle held firm.

“Relax, Oliver.  She’s got this,” Diggle hissed in his ear.  “Trust her.”

“You’re a monster!” Felicity said and she didn’t have to pretend that she was outraged.  He threatened Thea, someone completely innocent.  He threatened Oliver, someone he claimed to love.  She didn’t dare look at Oliver, knowing he was ready to rip Tommy’s throat out for daring to threaten Thea.  

“I’m in control,”  Tommy countered.  “I’ll give you a minute or two to think about it.  Surrender to me and you won’t kill two people you claim to love.”

Oliver grunted and Diggle relaxed his hold a fraction. Oliver didn’t move and Diggle released him carefully, ready to grab him again.  Oliver gave Diggle a look and he backed away.  Lyla gave Felicity a signal, letting her know they were close to tracing his location.  Oliver turned back to Felicity.  He didn’t say anything.  He didn’t have to.  He knew that Felicity would never put Thea’s life in danger.  

“Well, Felicity?  Do we have a deal?  Do you love Oliver enough to sacrifice yourself for him?”

“You know you are as good as finished if the Green Arrow gets anywhere near you.  You don’t stand a chance against him.”

“Which is why you will come alone.  Do you hear me, Green Arrow?  I know you’re listening.  The only way she escaped my men was because you came to her rescue.  Not this time though.  She will come alone or I will kill Oliver and Thea.  I have men watching them now, merely waiting on my signal.”

Lyla pulled her phone out as she stepped out of the room.  She quickly made contact with her agents at the Queen house and then sent two more agents as back up.  She slipped back in the room and met Oliver’s eyes.  She gave him a thumbs up.  Thea was okay.  The agents were on alert and back up was on the way.  He nodded in gratitude.

“You have to promise not to hurt them, Tommy.”

“You would trust my promise?”

“If there is one thing I know about you, no matter what you’ve given your promise to, you’ll keep it.”

“True, so very true.  Very well, I promise.”

Oliver paced away from Felicity, shoulders tight with tension.  He didn’t like where this was going.  The threat on Thea’s life was unexpected.  He didn’t realize that Tommy would go so far.  Tommy hadn’t meant to kill Moira; there was no way Tommy could have foreseen that Moira would take a bullet meant for the Green Arrow.  Tommy’s grief was genuine, but now Oliver wondered if some part of Tommy’s plan always involved the destruction of the Queen family.  But why?  What did Moira ever do to Tommy that would make him hate them so much?

“Fine,” Felicity finally replied after a moment of silence.  “When and where?”

“One hour.  Get back on the streets, without an escort.  Use these comms to contact me.  Stay put until my men come to you.  The where will be determined after you are in the custody of my men.”

Oliver whirled around, shaking his head, but Felicity ignored him.

“One hour then.”

“And Felicity?  I look forward to our upcoming time together.”

Felicity gagged as Tommy disconnected.  She curled her shoulders inwards, taking deep breaths.  

“This is a mistake,” Oliver began as he watched Felicity struggle to breath.  He moved towards her but she held a hand out, keeping him at bay.

“It’s the only way,” Diggle reminded him and Lyla nodding in agreement.

“We can stay a few stops ahead of him.  There are only a few places that he can take her in the Glades without being spotted.  We can position ourselves in strategic, geographical locations that are no more than 10 minute run to wherever he might take her.  I might be able to get more than a four man team,” Lyla said, as she pulled up a map of the Glades onto the big screen.

“Look,” Diggle point to several spots on the map.  “Excellent vantage points to view the streets.  The docks is certainly one place he would go, his mother’s office, the club….”

“And if he spots them?  He’ll kill her,” Oliver shouted and Felicity shook her head, trying to speak.  Lyla, Diggle, and Oliver began arguing and Felicity sighed.  

“Hey,” she croaked out, fighting back the nausea induced by Tommy’s threats.  She needed to get this under control.  She only had an hour to cope.  The three ignored her and she rolled her eyes.

“Hey!”

As one, they fell silent and turned in her direction.  She glared at them and Oliver ducked his head. 

“Sorry,” Lyla said, putting a hand on Felicity’s arm.  Felicity tried to smile but she was still trying to breath steadily so it came out more as a grimace.

“Only one place he’ll go,” Felicity forced out between gritted teeth.  Her throat was aching with the need to scream but she would not let go.  She would not give him the satisfaction.

“How do you know?” Diggle asked.

“Because he is one sick son of a bitch.”

“Where?” Lyla asked.

“Where Tommy and I first met, of course.”

“Felicity,” Oliver began but she shook her head.  She needed air.  Fresh air.  She whirled around, tripping over the I.V. pole.  Cursing, she yanked out the I.V., ignoring the blood on her arm.  Diggle put a hand out but Oliver quickly shook his head.  She needed space. 

“I’ll go,” Oliver said as he went over to the first aid kit that hung on the wall.  He took it down and rifled through it, taking some gauze pads.

“Are you okay?” Diggle asked, concerned with the sudden calm Oliver was exhibiting.

“He threatened Thea.  I’m definitely not okay.”

Oliver left the command center, following the small drops of blood Felicity left in her wake.  Diggle watched him go.

“They will get through this,” Lyla said softly coming to stand beside him.

“Yes, but at what cost?”

Lyla couldn’t think of anything to say.  Instead, she laced her fingers through his, offering silent comfort as her people began filing back into the command center.  

* * *

 

Felicity burst outside, sides heaving from running through the maze of halls as she searched for a way out of the safe house.  She bent at the waist, gulping in the cold air.  She braced her hands against her knees, staring down at the cracked concrete.  A single red drop splashed onto the grey stone and then another.  Blood.  Her blood.  Felicity blinked and then she looked at the rivulet of blood running down her arm.  A warm hand circled her wrist and pressed clean gauze against the crook of her arm.

“You ripped the I.V. out,” Oliver murmured as he applied firm pressure.  He used another small square of gauze to clean up her arm.  Felicity stared numbly at Oliver’s fingers and then she lifted her gaze to his face.  His expression was blank but his eyes swirled with emotion.  Anger. Despair.  Sadness.  Such deep sadness.  Felicity realized that despite everything, despite what Oliver had seen with his own eyes, there had been some small part of him that believed there was something to save in Tommy.  Until now.  Any hope, not matter how small, disappeared the moment Tommy threatened Thea’s life.

“Oliver…” she whispered, infinite sadness coursing through her words.  Oliver shook his head.

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” he said, almost conversationally.  “After everything, I shouldn’t be surprised.  Isn’t that how he trapped Jin? My mother?  He abducts, threatens, even kills, the loved ones of his victims.  He knows how you feel about me.  How close you’ve become with Thea.  He’s using your emotions against you.”

Oliver lifted the gauze to check the bleeding.  His hood fell back a bit and Felicity adjusted it.  Oliver wiped the area around her arm and then tossed the gauze into an open trash bin just outside the door that led to this small tiny courtyard.  They were cloaked in darkness, invisible to everyone but each other. 

“You...Thea…..were never supposed to be in danger,” Felicity said, her hand lingering on his cheek.  Her hand trembled as she recalled Tommy’s threat against Oliver’s life if she didn’t turn herself in.

“Felicity, I’m the Green Arrow.  I was always going to be in danger.”

“Not like this. Not directly.”

“You’re not making sense.  Whether he knows it’s me or not, I would be in the line of fire.  Now we know his plan.  We have the advantage.  He’s so confident that you can’t reach me, he’s telling you everything.  It’s like you said.  He’s obsessed with you.  You are the one person who has any hope of getting him to confess his connection to the Cadre and the attack on the Glades.”

“I don’t know,” Felicity murmured.  “But Thea? I don’t understand.  I don’t want to understand.”

“We needed a reason for you to suddenly surrender.  He gave it to us.  This doesn’t change the plan.”

“No.  If anything, I have to turn myself in.  We can’t let him touch Thea.”

“How is it,” he mused, “that you can be so calm about turning yourself over to Tommy but as soon as he threatens my life and Thea’s, you suddenly seem scared.”

“I’m not scared,” she protested.

“No?”

“I’m concerned,” she clarified and Oliver laughed.  He pulled her into his arms, and she sighed, resting her cheek against the cold leather of his jacket.  Looping her arms around his waist, she held him tightly.  She felt his lips press against the top of her head and suddenly needing to feel the warmth of them against her lips, she lifted her head, searching for his mouth.  He met her halfway and she sighed again as his lips melded against hers.

“We don’t have a lot of time,” Oliver said against her mouth, feeling the weight of time on his shoulders.

“I know.  I just need another minute.  With you.  Like this,” she confessed, lips whispering against his.  He peppered her mouth with small kisses and she felt him smile.

“I can’t argue with that,” he whispered roughly and the timber of his voice made Felicity shiver with longing.  Felicity melted against him, surrendering to Oliver’s embrace, losing herself in his kiss.  They gave and they took, finding strength and solace in each other.

* * *

 

They stood inside the wrecked convenience store from earlier.  Using the old water tunnels, Oliver and Felicity were able to arrive at the location virtually undetected.  The body of the Cadre soldier was gone.  There was no evidence of his presence, not even blood.  

“It’s like he was never here,” she said, looking around.  She glanced at the time on her phone.  They had ten minutes until the one hour deadline.  Part of this still seemed so unreal to her.  A year ago, she was moving to Starling City for all the wrong reasons.  She went from being kidnapped, tortured, and rescued to becoming a vigilante and finding the love of her life.  It was straight out of a novel.   _ One that would make a great movie _ , she thought.

“I don’t want to leave you,” Oliver muttered, unhappy yet resigned.  His forefinger and thumb twitched together.   Felicity wanted to touch him, to comfort him as much as herself, but was afraid she wouldn’t be able to let go.  A small smile crossed her lips as she recalled her fear of completely losing herself to Oliver.  How she thought surrendering her heart and her whole being to another was a weakness was beyond her.  With Oliver, he gave as much as she gave.  He took as much as she took.  She may have surrendered, but so had he and yet they both still maintained their own sense of self.

“I don’t want you to go,” she admitted because she could.  Felicity handed over her phone, knowing that any electronics she had on her would be confiscated. 

“The trackers?”

“My shoe, earring, and hair elastic.  The hair elastic is amazing.  I can’t wait to study it, see if I can replicate the technology that allows for the give and take of elastic without obscuring a signal or destroying the components.  It could be really…..”

“Felicity.”

She swallowed hard and gave Oliver a weak smile.  Right then and there, Felicity decided that this was the worst idea.  Ever.  Why on earth did she ever thing she could do this?  She wasn’t ready.  Not be a long shot.  Tommy was going to eat her alive.  He knew just what buttons to push, how to put her on edge.  Oliver saw the expression in her face change as she dropped her gaze to the floor.  

“Hey,” he said softly, lifting her chin.  “You can do this.”

“I don’t want to go back there.”

“It’s a pile of bricks, nothing more.”

“It was my prison.”

“Which you escaped.”

“You had to rescue me.”

“And you were still alive for me to rescue.  You still had hope.  Anyone else would have given up.  Anyone else would have died.  You didn’t.  You live.  Every day…..you live.”

Felicity nodded.  This moment, this last act, was everything she trained for over the last several months.  It was everything she tirelessly worked for each night she spent at the lair in front of her computers.  This was the closure she fought so hard for.

“Am I supposed to be scared?”

“I’d be worried if you weren’t.”

“Are you scared?”

“To death.”

Felicity smiled.  She shuffled her feet and looked out the broken doors.  

“It’s time,” she said softly and Oliver nodded.  He swallowed hard, giving her face a searching look.  Love and acceptance.  It’s what he always saw when he looked into her eyes.  She gave him a nod and he stroked her cheek gently with a gloved finger.

“You are not alone,” he said as he moved towards the doors.  Felicity watched as he stepped outside.  He turned to give her one last look, his eyes burning with intensity.

“I love you,” she said suddenly.  Oliver stopped moving, and in two strides, he was back in front of her, his hands cupping her face, his lips crashing into hers.  He kissed her desperately, as if she was the very air he needed to breath.  His mouth ravaging hers, love and need mixed with fear.  He pulled back before Felicity could even think to respond.

“I love you,” he said and then he was gone.  Felicity took a breath and then another.  With Oliver’s kiss still tingling on her lips, she stepped outside and into the middle of the road.  She slipped her earpiece on and activated it.

“I’m in the streets,” she said not wasting time in a greeting.  She wanted this over with as quick as possible.  She glanced around, unable to spot Oliver in the dark.  She knew he was there, watching over her.  She drew that knowledge around her like the comfort of a warm blanket.

“Are you alone?” came Tommy’s voice.

“Yes.”

“Where are you?”

“In front of the same convenience store I escaped from earlier.”

Tommy didn’t answer but in less than 30 seconds Felicity heard the sound of tires squealing and four SUVs came skidding around the corner.  Two more approached her from behind.  Felicity quickly counted the number of men that jumped out, all of them pointing guns at her.

“Really Tommy?  It takes 15 men to bring in little old me?” she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.  She held her arms out to indicate she was weaponless.

“Obviously I couldn’t trust you would come alone.”

“Ah,” Felicity said as the men slowly approached her.  “You’re afraid of the Green Arrow.”

“I’M NOT AFRAID OF ANYONE!”

Felicity smirked at Tommy’s shout but said nothing.  As the circle around her tightened, one man stepped ahead of the group and lowered his weapon.  He approached her and Felicity knew he intended to pat her down.

“If he touches me, Tommy, we’re going to have a problem.”

“No weapons allowed to this meeting, Felicity.”

“I’m not armed.”

“You’ll understand if I don’t take your word for it.”

Felicity watched the man warily.  He smirked as he heard something over his headset and began to pat her down.  Just when she thought he would be professional, his hand grazed the underside of her breast.  Felicity didn’t hesitate.  He was on the ground, his arm twisted with Felicity’s boot in his armpit and his hand held in her grasp at an angle that was quickly going to result in something breaking.  The man blinked up at her in surprise.  Felicity stared coldly down at him, hiding her own surprise.   _ Diggle really is a most excellent teacher,  _ she thought.

“I'm not the same girl that I was, Tommy.”

There was silence as all the men raised their weapons into a ready-to-fire position.  The man on the ground whimpered.  Felicity heard quiet laughter in her ear.

“Let him go.  He won’t touch you again.”

Felicity released the man and stepped away, keeping her arms up and out to the sides.  Red-faced, the man glared at her as he again listened to whatever Tommy was telling him over his headset.

“No, Sir.  I didn’t feel any weapons and she doesn’t have a phone.”

“Very good, Felicity.  Now, remove your earrings.”

Felicity didn’t argue.  She removed her earrings and tossed them aside.

“Done.”

“And now remove the chip in the heel of your boot.”

“Done.”

“And the other boot.”

“Only had one.”

“Please remove your shoe for my man to inspect.”

Felicity complied and waited as the man inspected the shoe.  He confirmed that there was no tracking device in the shoe.  After she was done replacing her shoe, the man motioned for her to follow him.  She complied, again casting one eye to the rooftops.  

“Where are you taking me?” she asked but Tommy didn’t answer.  It wasn’t until she was in the car that he spoke.

“Why, back to the beginning.”

Smothering a sigh of relief that her guess was correct, Felicity looked out her window.  As planned, Oliver came swooping down from the building behind the convenience store and Tommy’s men engaged.  The SUV Felicity rode in drew further and further away, followed by three more.  The remaining stayed behind as Oliver began to methodically fight his way towards her.  Felicity stared out the back window until she could no longer see Oliver fighting.  She knew he was never meant to catch up to her, but that didn’t make watching him disappear from view any easier to swallow.  She sent a quick prayer that he was okay.

“Did you think I wouldn’t be prepared for him to try and rescue you?  I knew he was there the minute you took down my man.  Only he would give you that much courage.  Otherwise, you're weak.  You're nothing,” Tommy hissed in her ear.  There was a world of frustration in his voice that told Felicity Oliver was just fine.

“How many men did you lose?”

His silence was her answer and she laughed.

“He took them all out, didn’t he?” 

Felicity continued to laugh until the sound of Tommy disconnecting from the earpiece clicked in her ear.  Still, she laughed.  It was that, or cry and she absolutely refused to cry.

* * *

 

“Diggle, do you have eyes on here?” Oliver said as he ran down the street, in the opposite direction from Felicity.  He came across a low hanging fire escape and reached up, pulling down the ladder.  He quickly climbed up, not wanting to use another zip line.  He began running over the rooftops towards the rubble of Felicity’s prison.

“Not yet.  SUVs pulling in now.  Might be her.  No sign of Tommy----wait…..Not Felicity, but Tommy.  The fucker just climbed on top of a mound of bricks like he’s some sort of fucking king waiting to greet his people.”

“What about Felicity?” Oliver asked again, leaping between buildings and just barely clearing the gap.  He teetered a moment before throwing his momentum forward, stumbling slightly as he caught his footing.

“Nothing yet.”

“Lyla? You see her?”

“I have SUVs traveling in our direction at a high rate of speed.  Body heat signatures indicate she’s in the SUV in the middle.”

“I’ll be there in ten.  I want to know the second she steps out of that vehicle,” Oliver said and began pushing himself harder.

“Copy all,” Diggle responded, his eyes peeled on the scene in front of him.   In the distance, he heard the approach of the SUVs and he saw the look of satisfaction that crossed Tommy’s face as the vehicles came within view.  Perched on the bricks, his hands stuck in his pocket, Tommy exuded power and control, a conqueror surveying his new found territory.  Ten men formed a perimeter on either side of him, their eyes sharp.  Tommy certainly hadn’t spared any expense when it came to hiring an army.  Diggle couldn’t see beyond where Tommy stood.  The remains of the building blocked his view.

“Team Bravo, report,” Diggle said into his comms.  The team of four that Lyla was able to provide where the best of the best.  They were currently conducting two-by-two sweeps of the adjacent streets while he maintained surveillance in the front.

“Sir, five men on the backside.”

“Take them out. Quietly.  Proceed to take out any you come across.  We need to reduce Tommy’s back up before Felicity get’s here.”

“Copy all.”

“Lyla?”

“No aerial surveillance as of now,” came Lyla’s voice.  As the better shot, she was resting on a rooftop one block over, her eye pressed to a sniper rifle.   

“Target?”

“In sight. Clear line of fire.”

“The goal is to disable,” Diggle reminded her and the long-suffering sigh Lyla gave over the comms made him smile.  Before she could say anything, four SUVs pulled up the street.  Felicity exited from the second one, her gaze immediately fixing on Tommy.

“Oliver, I have eyes on Felicity.”

“Copy.  Five minutes,” was all Oliver said and Diggle could hear the strain in his voice.  

* * *

 

Tommy stared in satisfaction as Felicity slowly made her way to the bottom of the pile of rubble he stood upon.  He looked down at her, smug in his success.  She didn’t meet his eyes, and he grinned broadly.  She should be very afraid.  Felicity had almost destroyed everything and little did she know that she still had the power to destroy him and the Cadre.  He recalled the last time he saw her, how she panicked while waiting for her coffee.  He wanted to see that wary look on her face again.  The fear.  Oh yes, the fear.  As she drew closer, she kept her head bent and Tommy felt pleasure course through him.  To see her cowed, defeated was a pleasure beyond compare.

“So glad you could come,” he murmured.  Felicity kept her head bent, not looking at him.  He could just see the rush of color that suffused her cheeks.  His palms tingled in anticipation and he flexed his fingers.

“I didn’t have much choice,” she replied and Tommy smiled, please that Felicity acknowledged that she was at his mercy.

“No, you didn’t, did you?  Still, I’m glad you’re here.”

“If you’re going to kill me, do it now.”

“So eager to die?”

Felicity didn’t say anything for a moment, keeping her gaze averted from Tommy’s sharp eyes.  She swallowed hard.  The fear that was always present whenever she was around Tommy had come rushing back the moment she stepped out of the car and saw him standing like some sort of overlord.  This time, however, it was tempered by a cold, bright anger.  Before, her fear around Tommy was something she didn’t understand.  She ignored her instincts and thought somehow she was at fault.  She puzzled over it and blamed herself.   His manipulation of her in their encounters made her sick to her stomach, but it also fed her anger.  It fed her drive to defeat him, to make him pay.  The fear was still there, but it was a healthier fear, a known quantity that she could now use to her advantage.  One she controlled and not the other way around.  A fear that stayed buried because her anger and her belief in herself and in her team - in Oliver and Diggle - were stronger.  Tommy had no idea what he was in store for, but he was about to find out.  She lifted her head and met his eyes squarely letting him see her anger, contempt, and more importantly, lack of fear.  She almost smiled at the frown that marred his brow before he quickly hid the reaction.  

“No.  I’ve fought very hard to live after everything you’ve done to me.  So no, I’m not eager to die.  But neither am I afraid to die.  Tell me, Tommy, are you afraid?”

“I have nothing to fear.”

“The Green Arrow.  You fear him.”

“He’ll be dead soon.”

“Good luck with that,” Felicity replied flippantly.  She held back a flinch when one of the men by her side raised a fist.  To her surprise, Tommy held up a hand.

“We don’t beat women,” he intoned and Felicity outright laughed.

“No, you just torture them in other ways, hoping to break them.”

Tommy studied Felicity, his eyes narrowed as he assessed her.  She wasn’t afraid.  She really wasn’t afraid.  He felt anger stir.  Where was the fear, the unease she always showed in his presence?  Why did she look at him so steadily?  Why wasn’t she looking around, hoping to be rescued?  Why was she flushed with color and not pale at the very sight of him?  His anger grew.  She was robbing him of his moment.  His hands curled into fists.

“Careful, Felicity.  Or I just may change my policy on beating women.”

“Go ahead,” Felicity shrugged.  “It won’t matter to me.  I’ll be dead.” 

“Oh, I’m going to kill you. But first, I’m going to enjoy you.”

“You are one sick fuck,” Felicity suddenly said and Tommy’s eyes narrowed.  He tsked at her, shaking his head. 

“Language, Felicity, language.  I’m going to enjoy teaching you that lesson.”

“You won’t get the chance.”

“If you think your knight in green leather is going to come sweeping in at the last minute, grow up.  This isn’t a fairy tale.”

“Oh, I know it’s not.  Tell me, Tommy, when exactly did you decided to be an evil piece of shit with no scruples?”

“Fuck you, Felicity Smoak,” Tommy snapped, losing control.  Felicity let a small smile curl the corner of her mouth.

“Language, Tommy, language,” Felicity taunted back.  Tommy couldn’t help himself.  He threw his head back in laughter, surprising both of them.  Maybe this side of Felicity was actually a benefit.  This newfound strength she was displaying would only make breaking her all the more interesting.  He decided to tell her so.

“You know, I think I like this side of you.  I’m going to enjoy breaking you.”

“Like I said, I’m not the same woman I was before.”

“No, you most certainly are not.  I confess, when I kidnapped you and ordered you be interrogated until you revealed everything you knew about the book, I thought it would be a few hours, at most, until you broke.  You surprised me.  You surprised Mr. Thomas.”

There it was.  A confession to the kidnapping.   _ That’s one _ , Felicity thought, her expression betraying none of her triumph.

“Is that his name? The man who electrocuted me?  Mr. Thomas?”

“You never did have a proper introduction, did you?”

“The moment never presented itself,” Felicity replied dryly, keeping her eyes firmly on Tommy.  The back of her neck itched.  She needed to move this along.  She so badly wanted to look around to see if she could spot Diggle or Lyla.  Or Oliver.

“Perhaps I’ll bring him back.  Afford you the opportunity to meet him.”

“Like I said, you won’t get the chance.”

“You intrigue me.  You should be begging for your life.”

“How did you discover my connection to the A.R.G.U.S. agent?”  Felicity asked abruptly.

“I have a man inside the NSA.  They revealed the odd connection between you two and it was just a matter of sweeping her off the streets during one of her missions.  Easily done.  I had no idea she had a connection to the Green Arrow.  An oversight that I rue to this day.”

_ That’s two _ .  Felicity mentally checked off his confession of kidnapping a federal agent.   _ Now the Glades and Oliver better swing his ass through here as soon as he confesses. _

“Yes….that was the beginning of your end, wasn’t it?”

“Oh, Felicity, you are so naïve.  This isn’t my end.  It’s my beginning.”

“Why?  What did these people ever do to you?  How did they harm you?” Felicity asked softly, changing tact.  This was the most important part.  This is where it ended.  

Tommy looked away, almost undone by the compassion in Felicity’s voice.  She was confusing him.  Moving from hard and strong, to a woman whose eyes brimmed with sympathy.  There were so many facets to her.  He was beginning to understand Oliver’s fascination.  

“My mother died here.  Did you know that?” Tommy didn’t wait for an answer, not sure why he was telling her all of this.  “She was shot and killed for a few measly bucks after hours spent providing free medical care to the very people who killed her.”

“One person killed her.  Not an entire population.”

“They are all guilty.  They are complicit.  Their very lifestyle has judged them as guilty.”

“Oh, Tommy,” Felicity said sadly, shaking her head.  “I pity you.”

Tommy’s head whipped back towards her and anger suffused him.  He flew down the pile of bricks he stood on, skidding to a stop right in front of her.  Felicity tilted her head back to meet his furious gaze.  She didn’t flinch.

“Pity?  I did this,” he yelled, spittle flying from his mouth.  “I planned all of this. My father’s vision was too narrow, just a destruction, but I elevated it.  I destroyed the Glades and now I will rebuild it and own all of it, controlling all trade and commerce coming in and out of Starling City.  I will build this into a monument to honor my mother.  I will own Starling City’s economy.  I will  _ be _ Starling City.”   

_ That’s three.  Anytime now, Oliver.  _  As if on cue, one of Tommy’s men came forward.  Tommy looked at him impatiently.

“Sir, we have a problem.  The rear perimeter team is not responding.”

Tommy turned back to Felicity.  He frowned and he quickly ran his hands down her legs and arms briskly.  He couldn’t find any devices on her.  She wasn’t wearing a belt, there was no jewelry.  How?  How did she do this?  How did she know where they would go?  Had he been too obvious?

“What did you do?”

Felicity didn’t say anything, just kept her gaze calmly on Tommy.

“WHAT. DID. YOU. DO.”

“What you should have expected.”

At her words, there was a quiet popping sound and the two men on either side of Felicity fell to the ground, darts in their necks.  Two more men dropped.  Tommy grabbed her arm and began hauling her to the closest SUV.  As the driver was opening the door, he fell to the ground, a tranq in his neck.  Cursing, Tommy used her as a shield as he made his way around the car.  He shoved Felicity across the driver’s seat and quickly followed, a dart narrowly missing his neck.  His men were scattering, jumping into their SUVs and leading the way out.  

“You won’t get far, Tommy,” Felicity quietly said and Tommy laughed.  There was a maniacal edge to the sound of his laughter and Felicity felt the first stirring of real fear.  She kept her gaze forward though.  Oliver would come.  Tommy looked at her.

“I was too obvious.  Of course you could guess where I would bring you.  This time though, you will truly be on your own.”

Felicity smiled and said nothing.  Tommy frowned and floored the pedal, the SUV lunging forward.  A small sound escaped him at the sight in front of him.  A figure in green stood in the middle of the road, an arrow aimed at the SUV. 

“I’ll run him down,” Tommy said, pressing harder on the accelerator.

“You won’t get the chance.”

True to Felicity’s quiet conviction, Oliver released the arrow and it embedded itself in the front right tire.  A second lodged in the left tire.  A small popping sound later, and the tires went flat.  The car spun and Tommy cursed as he fought with the steering wheel.  Felicity clutched the dashboard as she was thrown about the car, her shoulder hitting the side window with a jarring thud.  Tommy finally managed to bring the car to a halt without crashing into anything. Breathing heavily, Tommy stared out the window at Oliver.

“Tommy,” Felicity said softly and he swung wild eyes in her direction.  He was breaking, she realized and knew that things could get out of hand.  “Please.  Just stop.  He won’t hurt you.”

“He will try to lock me up!”

“But you’ll be alive.”

“Shut up! Shut up! Let me think!”

“Get out of the car!” Oliver shouted, his fury at Tommy clear through the voice distorter.

“Tommy,” Felicity said again and reached a hand out.  Tommy stared at her and then laughed.  

“Do you think I would give up so easily?  Do you think I would just roll over because you asked so nicely?  He doesn’t scare me!  No one does!  You.  From the moment you entered my life, everything became more and more complicated.  This your fault.”

“Get. Out. Of. The. Car.”

Tommy grabbed her by the ponytail and Felicity yelped as he pulled her hair.  He dragged her across the seats and Felicity stumbled to the ground as he yanked her out.  Pulling her up, Tommy pulled a gun out from his waistband, a gun Felicity failed to see because he kept it hidden by his suit jacket.  He pressed it against her temple as he cleared the car.  Almost immediately, Lyla’s small team of four surrounded them and Diggle, his face obscured by a balaklava, flanked Oliver.

“It’s over.  The remains of your own army have deserted you.  Release her and surrender,” Oliver ordered, an arrow at the ready.  Felicity was dismayed to see that it wasn’t a tranq arrow.  She narrowed her eyes at Oliver.   _ No killing, _ she mouthed. Only a glint in Oliver’s eyes told her he saw what she said.

“Nonsense,” Tommy called back.  “It’s only just beginning.  I have more men on the way as we speak.  I suggest you send these men away and I’ll let her live long enough for you to actually say good-bye.”

“He won’t kill me,” Felicity called out.  “That would be too easy for him.  He doesn’t like what I’ve become.  He wants to break me again.”

In response, Tommy shifted his hold and lifted the gun into the air.  He fired off a shot.  Felicity jumped at the noise and cringed at the pain in her ear.  There was a thunderous expression on Oliver’s face and she touched her fingers to her ear, expecting to find blood.  She shook her head in an attempt to dispel the ringing.  Before she could move register that she could still hear, Tommy forced her to kneel on the ground, his gun pressed against the back of her head.  She could feel the heat of the barrel against her scalp.

“Shoot me and she’s dead.  The trigger on this weapon….it’s light.”

“She dies, you die.”

“Yes, but I’ll have the great pleasure knowing that I killed her right in front of you.  That I killed the woman I suspect you care more for than even she knows.  It must gall you to know that she chose Oliver Queen over her rescuer.”

Neither Oliver or Felicity said anything and Tommy laughed.

“It must be frustrating to know that a playboy like Oliver Queen held more appeal than a man who rescued her from certain death.  The wastrel versus the hero.  What a sad love triangle.  Or perhaps she enjoys you both,” Tommy taunted and laughed at his own cleverness.

Oliver studied Tommy and knew he would do it.  There was an edge of madness beginning to creep into Tommy’s expression.  He was slowly breaking with reality, bloated with what he perceived to be his own power over all of them.  That ego, that conceit, would hasten his fall.  Tommy was teetering and Oliver didn’t doubt Felicity’s life was hanging on the balance.  He needed Tommy focused on him and him alone.  If Tommy thought for one second one of the men from A.R.G.U.S. was making a move, he would shoot Felicity.

“Call them off.  I can handle Tommy alone.” he muttered to Diggle.

“Oliver...the man is insane.”

“I’ve handled worse.  The risk to Felicity isn’t worth an attempt to take him out and pray the trigger isn’t as light as he claims.”

Diggle sighed, and motioned to the men who faded away.

“You, too, Dig.”

“Oliver!”

“Please.  Pull back.  Join Lyla.  When you get a good shot, take it.”

“Disable?”

Oliver nodded in confirmation although he wouldn’t hesitate to kill Tommy if it came down to it.  Diggle moved back, and slowly disappeared.

“Release her,” Oliver said advancing slowly.

“Lower your hood,” Tommy responded pushing the gun harder against the back of Felicity’s head.  Oliver didn’t stop until he was a few feet away.  He risked a glance at Felicity.  Her eyes were wide with fright, but it wasn’t controlling her.  She blinked once, slowly, telling him she was ready.

“Lower your hood. Now. Or I will blow her brains all over your shiny green boots.”

Oliver stared at Tommy.  If he did this, if he revealed himself to Tommy, he would have to kill him.  If he didn’t, Tommy very well may kill Felicity.  He glanced down at her again and she mouthed the word  _ no. _  Oliver saw Tommy’s finger flex against the trigger.   _ Decision time _ , he thought and he raised one hand to his hood.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events that drove Tommy's desire for revenge are revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter after this! One more to wrap up the loose ends! I struggled with this chapter, really wanting this to go a very specific way. But this is how it kept playing out. I then saw a tweet from Writing & Editing this week that talked about listening to your characters. I finally listened to Oliver and Tommy and this is what they wanted. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

“Don’t do it,” Felicity begged.  “You will have to kill him.  Do you understand?  You. Will. Have. To. Kill. Him.  Can you do that?  Can you kill Tommy?  Can you live with that knowledge? Don’t do it.”

Oliver bowed his head, prepared to reveal himself to Tommy.  The threat to Felicity was too real to ignore.  Her life was quite literally in his hands and if she were to be hurt…. _ God, to die! _ .....when he could save her, there was only one thing he could do.  He thought back to every single moment they had together and it wasn’t nearly enough.  He wanted more, so much more.  He wanted to take her in his arms and slowly kiss her until she made those small noises in the back of her throat that drove him wild. He wanted to savor every inch of her with his hands and his lips.  He wanted to spend the next week lost in her and then the next month just being with her.  He wanted to spend the next six months convincing her to marry him because that is exactly how long it would take to convince her it wasn’t too soon and that she was perfect for him.  He wanted to wake up every morning next to her for the rest of his life.  Have children with her.  Grow old with her.  He wanted her by his side.  He wanted to be by her side.

“Shut up!” Tommy snarled, shoving the gun harder against the back of her head.  He looked over at Oliver.  “Lower your hood!”

Oliver looked up and looked at Felicity.  Her face was calm but her eyes were bright with emotion.  There was a desperate plea in them to keep his identity a secret.   _ Don’t do it _ , her eyes begged.   _ I have to _ , he replied.  She blinked rapidly, trying to shake her head. 

“Oliver,” came Diggle’s voice over the comms.  “Felicity is right.  Don’t do it. He will not protect your secret. We will have to kill him.”

“No one can know my secret,” Oliver said to Tommy, giving him one more chance to do the right thing.  “If I lower my hood, you die.  It’s that simple.  Release her.  Walk away.  You have a chance to live.”

“I don’t need your mercy.  Her life is over if you don’t lower your hood,” Tommy pulled hard on Felicity’s ponytail and her head snapped back.

Tommy’s finger tightened on the trigger and Felicity flinched as the barrel of the gun pressed into her head.  

“Don’t do it.  Please.  Don’t do it,” Felicity repeated trying to look at Oliver.  Tommy shoved at her back with his knee and Felicity fell forward.  She pushed herself up, not even flinching as the gun came back against her head.  She kept her gaze fastened on Oliver, looking for some sign.

“LOWER YOUR HOOD!”

Oliver looked at Tommy, taking in the nearly maniacal glint in his eye.  Tommy was so close to falling over the edge.  Could he do it?  Could he take Tommy’s life?  Oliver’s attention focused on the gun that Tommy was pressing into the back of Felicity’s head.  He shuddered at the thought of Tommy pulling the trigger and he knew.  Yes, he would kill this man for Felicity.  For his mother.  For all the lives lost in the Glades.  For the city.  

Felicity knew the instant Oliver decided he would reveal himself and that he would kill Tommy.  A single tear slid down her cheek. She understood that in Oliver’s mind, there was no other choice.  He told her often enough.  She heard the words but right now, she truly understood the depth of passion behind them.  When it came to her life, her safety, Oliver didn’t believe there was ever any other choice to make.  He would always choose her.  Always.  Just as she would always choose him.   _ I love you,  _ she mouthed.   _ Are you ready _ , his eyes asked and Felicity took a deep, shuddering breath.

“I’m ready,” she said out loud.

“To die?” Tommy asked, “Because that’s what will happen if he doesn’t lower his hood in three…..two…..”

Oliver lowered his hood just as Felicity closed her eyes.  She felt Tommy stagger and the gun droop from her head.  She tightened her muscles in anticipation but didn’t so much as flinch.  She opened her eyes and saw Oliver’s finger flick to his left.

“What? I don’t understand? Oliver?  What are you doing? Why are you here?”

Confusion colored Tommy’s voice and Felicity’s heart began to beat faster.  They only had so much time before the shock wore off.  Right now, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.  But soon….it would get ugly.  Felicity heard the gun fall to the ground and she shifted slightly on her knees.  Oliver took a few steps closer.  He was so close she could reach out and touch him.  She stayed where she was, carefully watching Oliver.  She didn’t want to spook him until Oliver was ready.

“You’re not here.  You’re at home.  I don’t understand.  What is going on? Why are you dressed like that?”

Tommy stared at Oliver in confusion.  He looked down at Felicity and then back at Oliver.  The shock was beginning to wear off.  Felicity felt Tommy bend down to retrieve the gun.  Oliver lept over the small distance separating them and Felicity dove to her right.  Tommy’s grip on the gun was loose and as soon as Oliver tackled him, the gun went flying through the air, landing in the rubble a few feet away from where Oliver and Tommy were wrestling on the ground.  They rolled around, arms flying.  Felicity could tell that Oliver was holding back while Tommy was giving it his all.  There was no competition.  Oliver was superior in everyway.  He finally pinned Tommy on his back.  

"Oliver, Lyla and I don't have a clear shot.  You moved to far into the debris."

“Don’t. Move.”

Tommy stared up at Oliver before shoving him off.  He succeeded only because Oliver let him.  Tommy scrambled to his feet, Oliver quickly following suit.  Anger suffused Tomy’s face, turning it red.  He lifted a fist, slamming it into Oliver’s chin.  Oliver’s head whipped back but otherwise, he didn’t move.  Lifting a thumb, he wiped the small trickle of blood from the cut on his lip.

“You get one.  You don’t even deserve that, but I’ll give it to you. Next time, I’ll give back.  So please.  Do try. I’m dying to beat you fucking senseless,” Oliver said.

“Traitor,” Tommy hissed and Oliver shook his head.

“You’re a mass murderer and you call me a traitor?  I defend this city.  You destroy it.”

“There is nothing in the Glades worth saving!”

“Every life in the Glades deserves a shot at something more.  Who made you judge, jury and executioner?”

“Oh, that’s rich coming from you.  How many people did you kill when you first came back?  You’re a liar and killer. A murderer!” Tommy countered.  His mind was still scrambled.  He couldn’t reconcile the ruthless machine in front of him with his devil-may-care friend.  This wasn’t Oliver.  He could he not have known?  How could Oliver fool him for so long?  Tommy thought back but his mind was whirling.  Were there signs?  He didn’t know.  There may have been.  But he would have missed them all.  Because he dismissed Oliver as a threat.  He dismissed him as an innocent.  Tommy was certain Oliver had no idea until recently that he was involved in the Cadre.  It begged the question, if Oliver didn’t know anything about the Cadre until Felicity came into his life, why did Oliver never tell him he was the Green Arrow?

“I don’t have to answer to you for what I’ve done,” Oliver replied and then gestured around the Glades. “This, though? Doesn’t even compare.”

“You never told me,” Tommy suddenly asked.  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I never told anyone.”

Tommy shook his head as he stared at the man he thought he knew everything about.

“I’m not just anyone!  We are best friends. Brothers. There is no one you trust more than me.”

“I didn’t want you involved.  If I were ever caught….I thought I was protecting you.  Now, I think some instinct was telling me that you couldn’t be trusted.”

“I would have kept your secret,” Tommy said and Oliver laughed.

“Please.  You’re Cadre.  You would have told the police and made it look like someone else.  My secret was never safe with you.”

“Your mother….” Tommy started but then fell silent as Oliver stepped right into Tommy’s space, his face a hard mask of anger.  He saw the hint of fear in Tommy’s eyes and knew that Tommy only saw the Green Arrow and nothing of Oliver Queen.  Good.

“Don’t. Speak. Of. My. Mother.  She was trying to get out and you murdered her. The same way your father murdered mine and almost killed me.  You scared her.  You terrorized her.  You don’t get to use her to justify your actions.”

Felicity shivered, knowing the emotion Oliver was fighting was deeper than anger.  It was the type of emotion that blocked all thought and reason.  She took a step towards the two men.  The movement caught Oliver’s attention and he stepped back.  Tommy’s eyes narrowed on the both of them.

“Moira’s dead because of you.  She stepped in front of a bullet meant….” A sudden thought occurred to Tommy and his eyes narrowed.  “Did she know Oliver?  Did she know what you are?  Was she working with you?”

“She never knew.  Not until the end.  It’s why she took that bullet.”

“Her death is on your hands.  One of many,” Tommy taunted.  He glanced around quickly but none of his men were still standing.  “Look at my men.”

“Sedated,” Felicity said. “They’ll be out for a few hours.”

“All this time, you knew I pulled the trigger.  Yet, you did nothing.  You treated me the same as you ever did. You’re a better liar than I gave you credit for,” Tommy said to Oliver.

“I carry the burden of many deaths.  My mother’s? That’s on you.  Lying to you was the easiest thing I’ve ever done.  Because I knew in the end, you would pay for her death.”

“Oliver,” Felicity said quietly and Tommy’s gaze swung to her.  He studied her a moment.

“This is your fault,” he said.

Felicity met Tommy’s gaze unflinchingly.

“No,” she said quietly.  “It’s yours.  The moment you kidnapped me, you set these events into motion.  You are responsible for your own downfall.” 

“Downfall??” Tommy repeated incredulously before beginning to laugh.  He laughed until tears streamed from his eyes and Oliver wasn’t sure if the tears were caused by laughter or something else.  

“All this time,” he gasped out between laughter.  He looked Oliver, and howled with laughter.  “I was fighting you this whole time.  Because of her, you discovered my secret.  You’re finished, Oliver, you do realize that, right?  You’ll have to kill me to protect your identity.”

“There’s always another way,” Oliver said.  “Besides, no one will believe you.”

“Why? Because you’re the darling of Starling City?  News flash.  So am I.  And I don’t have a reputation for being slightly crazy after spending five years on a deserted island.”

“We have your confession.  When the world learns how you boasted of the destruction of the Glades, your reputation won’t be so spotless,” Felicity countered and Tommy shrugged.

“Again, who will believe you?  You’re certifiable after your kidnapping.  You’re more easily discredited than Oliver.”

“It’s recorded,” Oliver said quietly.  Tommy’s eyes narrowed as he looked between Oliver and Felicity.

“That’s not possible.  She was thoroughly searched.  She didn’t have a phone or any other devices,” he protested but Felicity only smiled.

“Tech is such a great thing,” she said conversationally and Oliver’s lips twitched.   _ Tech _ , Felicity thought.   _ Tech IS really a great thing. _  Felicity’s fingers twitched.  She needed her phone.

“Don’t fucking humor her,” Tommy snarled and took a step towards Felicity without thinking.  Oliver raised his bow, an arrow notched before Tommy could blink.  

“You can’t kill me,” Tommy said, confidence oozing from his voice.  “That would be cold-blooded murder and you just finished telling me that you don’t kill anymore.  It would seem, we are at an impasse.  Let me go, I’ll tell everyone your secret.  Kill me, and you’re nothing more than the common murderer you were five years ago.”

“You don’t think I”ll be okay with killing you? You killed my mother.”

“She deserved to die! I was always going to destroy her, take everything from her.  This….” Tommy gestured at Oliver and his green suit, “....this just makes it all the sweeter.  I’ll take your company, everything and everyone you love and you’ll be left to wonder what life would have been like had your mother never died.”

“What did my mother ever do to you?” asked Oliver, his voice rough with emotion.  This wasn’t his friend.  

“MOIRA IS THE REASON MY MOTHER DIED!”

“What are you talking about?” Oliver asked.  He looked at Tommy with confusion and Tommy barked out a laugh.  He threw up his hands as he stared angrily at Oliver.

“My father was supposed to pick up my mother from the hospital.  He was running late.  Told her he was at some business meeting.  So she decided to leave the safety of the hospital and walk back to her clinic.  Only she never made it because some degenerate killed her.”

“What does my mother have to do with that?”

“God, are you so stupid?  My father was with Moira!  They were having an affair and he was with her when he should have been in a car on his way to pick up my mother!”

“You’re wrong,” Oliver whispered his mind flying back in time.  He remembered his parents arguing.  Even as a child, Oliver understood his father wasn’t always faithful to his mother.  The arguments weren’t any different than those they had whenever Moira discovered another woman.  He tried to remember the angry words his parents exchanged.  His mother and Malcolm?

“I’m not.  I discovered their secret shortly after I joined the Cadre.  My father, in his arrogance, opened his files to me and there, buried among all the other blackmail he had on your father and the other members was a tiny little sliver of information regarding your mother.  It was a matter of connecting the right dots to discover the truth and neither denied it when I confronted them.”

“All of this for some petty revenge?” Felicity asked softly.  She looked at Oliver worriedly.  He wasn’t as focused as he was a few seconds ago.  From the look on his face, she could tell his mind was in the past.

“PETTY?  MY MOTHER’S LIFE WAS WORTH MORE THAN SOME TWO-BIT AFFAIR!”

“Their affair didn’t cause her murder.  One person did and he was found dead a few months later,” Felicity continued in a soothing tone.  She shifted closer to Oliver and nudged him with her foot.  He looked at her blindly and then shook his head as if coming back to the present.  If this was true, it explained so much.  After Rebecca, Moira was extremely protective of Tommy.  She was instrumental in convincing Robert to let Tommy stay with them that year and fought to keep him longer.  Moira went to every one of Tommy’s school or sporting events, splitting her time among Tommy, Oliver, and eventually Thea.  She was just as much Tommy’s mother as she was Oliver and Thea’s.

“DON’T TALK ABOUT MY MOTHER!  HER DEATH WAS MOIRA’S FAULT.  SHE WOULD BE ALIVE IF MY FATHER HAD PICKED HER UP LIKE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO!”

“No one death is worth the destruction of an entire population,” Oliver said, coming back to the present. His mother and Malcolm?   _ His mother and Malcolm?  _

“Oh, that’s rich coming from a murdering vigilante.”

“I don’t justify the lives I’ve taken the way you are.  I made mistakes.  Thought I was doing the right thing.  I thought I was honoring my father’s memory but instead, I was disrespecting it.  Rebecca would be ashamed of you.”

At Oliver’s last words, Tommy grew quiet.  No, his mother would be proud of him.  She would approve of the destruction, of the death to those who caused her harm.  Wouldn’t she? 

“Rebecca worked tirelessly to bring comfort to mothers in the Glades.  She believed that everyone deserved a chance.”

“Shut up, shut up!”  You should understand this need for revenge.  If anyone would understand, it’s you.  Like you said, my father murdered your father.  Don’t you want him dead?”

“Malcolm is in prison.  He’ll pay for his crimes,” Felicity said and Tommy jerked.

“Wait, what? How?”

“He came to find me.  Asked me to kill you,” Oliver said.  “He found me at Rebecca’s clinic.  Perfectly preserved clinic.”

“Mom’s clinic?” Tommy asked, his voice sounding lost.

“He maintained it,” Oliver said quietly and Tommy fell silent at the idea of his mother’s clinic remaining the same as ever.  No.  No.   _ No. _  This would not move him.  Would not matter.  There was no forgiveness for Malcolm.  For Moira.

“Of course he did,” Tommy sneered.  “His guilt speaks through his money.” 

“Oliver, SCPD is on it’s way.  With the Cadre practically owning SCPD, we will be at a serious disadvantage,” Diggle said in Oliver’s ear.

“SCPD are on the way,” Oliver said and Tommy smiled in satisfaction.

“So what are you going to do, Oliver?” Tommy taunted.  “Can you truly kill your best friend?”

“You are not my friend.  And I don’t need to kill you.  You’ve done that for me.”

“Deep, Oliver.  Really deep.  But let me tell you what we’re going to do.  I”m going to let you walk away before SCPD gets here.  Disappear into the Glades.  I’ll keep your secret.  You’ll give me QC in exchange.”

“Tommy….” Oliver began.

“Oh, I wasn’t done. She leaves Starling City,” Tommy interrupted, pointing a finger at Felicity.  “You don’t see her, talk to her, nothing.  She so much as breathes a word of any of this and your life? Thea’s life? Forfeit.”

“And if I say no?” Oliver said, his voice deceptively quiet. Felicity stirred and he saw her fingers twitch.  She wanted her tablet.  Or phone.   _ I have her phone _ , he thought.  He wondered what that beautiful mind of hers was thinking.  He released the tension on his bow but kept his arrow notched.  Holding it with one hand, he lowered his right arm and tapped his left cargo pocket.  He saw Felicity’s eyes zero in on his hand and her fingers stopped twitching.

“You’ll have to kill me. SCPD belongs to me.  They’ll arrest you and the world will know that Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow.  I’ll still get your company and Thea? Well, she’ll need me even more now that her brother is in prison.  And Felicity?  I’ll kill her.”

Oliver stared incredulously at Tommy.  He should no longer be surprised at anything Tommy would do to stay in power.  Felicity was right.  Of course, she was right.  To protect his secret, he would have to kill Tommy.  Or take a chance that no one would believe him.  Or, wait and see what Felicity had up her sleeve.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Felicity said, moving to Oliver’s other side.  She reached into the small cargo pocket on his pants and fished her phone out.  Using the uplink Lyla provided, Felicity pulled up surveillance on the house, zeroing in on the library windows.  Oliver glanced at the image on her phone.  The only reaction he gave was the raising of his eyebrows. 

“I told you technology is great.”

“Remind me to kiss you senseless when this is over.”

“Like you would forget,” Felicity replied, returning his look.

“What, what is that?” Tommy asked, his eyes narrowing at their banter.  They should be cowering before him.  Begging.  But here they were, joking with each other.  Acting like they….like they  _ won _ .

“Didn’t your people tell you that Oliver was at the Manor?  Didn’t they confirm it? Go ahead, reveal Oliver’s secret.  No one will believe you.  He  _ is _ at the Manor.” 

Felicity turned the phone around and moved closer to Tommy.  Oliver shadowed her, keeping an arrow firmly aimed at Tommy’s chest.  Staying just out of lunging distance, Felicity turned the phone so that Tommy could see the screen.  Right on cue, “Oliver” passed by the library windows, paused a moment as he spoke on a cell phone, before moving on.

“I don’t understand.  Who is that?  How?  What?”  Tommy reached for the phone but Felicity jerked further back.  Oliver’s raised his bow again.

“Don’t. Move.” Oliver said with deadly precision, an arrow ready to fly.

“You’re here.  Not there.  You’re here.  Right in front of me.”

“No, Tommy.  The Green Arrow was here.  I was at home, trying desperately to get to my girlfriend who was trapped in the Glades.”

“Oliver, did you forget to tell Tommy you installed video surveillance after Moira was killed?  For security reasons? So, there’s time-stamped video surveillance of you at the house?” Felicity asked Oliver and the ghost of a smile again hovered around his lips.

“Must have slipped my mind,” he replied conversationally as he began to back away, keeping his arrow aimed at Tommy.  Felicity moved slowly with him.  

“Are you really going to leave him alive?” she whispered.  Oliver kept his eyes fixed on Tommy as he screamed in rage.

“No!  Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow.”

“Yes.  Could I kill him?” Oliver said to Felicity as they moved further away.  “I absolutely could.  But it would destroy something in me. And you? You found us another way.”

He glanced briefly at Felicity.  There was so much love in that look that Felicity felt her heart melting all over again.  There was also desire.  So much desire that Felicity blushed. 

“Good-bye, Tommy,” Oliver said, lowering his bow as soon as Oliver deemed it safe.  He took Felicity’s hand and turned away, pulling her down the street as quickly as he could.  In the distance, he could hear sirens.  They didn’t have a lot of time to disappear.

“NOOOO!” Tommy howled and his scream of outrage followed them. They heard Tommy running but didn’t turn to look in what direction he was going.

“Oliver! Gun!” came Diggle’s voice and Oliver whipped around.  Tommy had found the gun he lost in his initial scuffle with Oliver and was running towards them.  He was blathering about Oliver being the Green Arrow and while the gun was aimed at Oliver, it was unsteady.  Oliver reached back for an arrow but Felicity whirled in front of him.

“What?” he managed to get out as she ripped one of the throwing arrowheads from the front of his jacket.  The sound of something popping echoed around them and Oliver saw dust and gravel from where Diggle and Lyla’s shots fell short as Tommy ran towards them.

“We don’t have a clear shot,” came Diggle’s frantic voice.  “Too much debris.”

Felicity spun around, putting her body between Oliver and the gun.  

“Felicity!  Get out of my way!” Oliver shouted but Felicity ignored him. Before Oliver could process what she was planning, Felicity drew back her arm and in a stunning display of accuracy, threw the arrowhead at Tommy.  Seconds later a shot rang out.  Oliver stared before him stunned at what just happened.

“Oliver?  Do you copy?  Oliver?”  Diggle’s voice came to him over the comms unit, but he couldn’t answer.  He was breathing to hard, his heart thundering in his ears.  He blinked rapidly, his mind refusing to accept what his eyes were seeing.  He looked at Felicity in shock.  Her eyes were wide and filled with fear as she sank to the ground.

“It’s okay,” he whispered as he reached for her.  “Shhhh….it’s okay.”

She shook her head and tried to speak but couldn’t.  Tears streamed from her eyes.

“Shhh….it’s okay,” Oliver repeated, kneeling next to her and pulling her to him.  He wrapped his arms around her, holding her.  

“Always shushing me when I’m not speaking,” she tried to say, swallowing thickly at the bile crawling up her throat. “Oliver….”

“Shhh...don’t speak.  It’s okay.  You’ll be okay.”

“Promise?”

“I promise,” Oliver swore, fear pulsing at him.  “You’ll be okay.”

He rocked her in his arms as he stared over at where Tommy lay, the arrowhead embedded in chest.   _ Hurry, hurry, hurry _ , his mind yelled at him.   _ You promised her she’ll be okay.  Hurry! _

“Diggle? We need an ambulance.”


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The last chapter. I cannot thank you all enough for the support you've shown me over the last year. Your patience in between updates was amazing. I never felt any pressure, so thank you so much for that.
> 
> Enjoy!

 

* * *

“Oliver! The cops are four blocks away and coming fast. You have less than 30 seconds to get out of there!”  
   
The sound of sirens drew closer and Felicity finally looked away from Tommy.  She drew in a deep breath and then another.  The burning in her side was starting to abate.  She pushed at Oliver’s shoulders.  
   
“You need to get out of here,” she said, pulling herself together. Oliver’s arms tightened around her as she tried to get up.  “Oliver, you have to go. Now.”    
   
Felicity shifted and pulled herself from the warmth of Oliver’s body. She wanted to cry at the loss of contact but instead, she rose to her feet. Oliver followed, his hand on her elbow, steadying her.  She avoided looking at Tommy.  
   
“Is he?” she couldn’t help but ask even as her heart began racing at the sound of the police getting closer.  
   
“I don’t know. Let me check.”  
   
“No! Don’t touch him.  You need to go,” Felicity insisted raising her arms to push her hair out of her face. She winced at the pulling in her side.  
   
“You’re bleeding,” Oliver said, touching her side.  Felicity breathed in sharply at the contact.  Oliver lifted her shirt from her side and she saw the path the bullet had taken as it came within a hairbreadth from hitting her in the stomach. The fact that she was throwing at the same time as the bullet was fired likely saved her life. Sheer luck. She looked back over at Tommy. He lay still, the small arrow protruding from his chest.  
   
“You need to go,” Felicity repeated, pushing at him.  She stuck her phone back inside his pocket, making sure it was secure.  “Don’t lose this.”  
   
“I won’t leave you!”  
   
“Yes! You will! If you stay, you’ll end up in jail. Or worse, on the run. You can’t let anyone discover who you are. We have a plan. We stick to it.”  
   
“Felicity - ”  
   
“You have to go!  If you're found out, what happens to Thea? The company?”  Felicity paused before adding in a smaller voice, “Or me?”  
   
Oliver swallowed hard. She was right.  She was always right. Flashing lights lit the night and Oliver realized he was out of time.  He brushed a finger across Felicity’s cheek.  
   
“I love you.”  
   
“I know,” she said giving him a shaky smile.  “Now, go!”  
   
With one last look, Oliver turned and disappeared over the rubble just as the first police car careened around the corner.  Doors slammed and the sound of police officers aiming their weapons in her direction echoed through the night.  Shouts filled the air but Felicity couldn’t hear what they were saying. Instinctively, she knew she needed to show her hands. She took a fortifying breath.  A helicopter appeared overhead and Felicity was illuminated in the spotlight along with Tommy’s body.  She slowly raised her hands over head as she turned to face the police. 

* * *

“Where is she?!” Oliver shouted, bursting through the emergency room doors. Thea followed closely on his heels. Behind her, two cops jogged to keep up with their pace.  Oliver strode towards the desk, his face a hard mask.  Two hours since he left her in the middle of the rubble.  Two hours since he last saw her standing, a mixture of courage and fear shining from her eyes. If he didn’t see her in the next 30 seconds, shit would meet the fan.  
   
Strong hands settled on his shoulder, holding him back from the ER desk. Diggle’s face swam into focus.  
   
“Easy, Oliver,” he said soothingly. “The docs are with her right now.  The cops---”  
   
“I don’t give a fuck who’s with her. I want to see her now.”  
   
“Oliver -”  
   
Oliver pushed past Diggle and grabbed the first person in scrubs that crossed his path.  The man gasped and then swallowed hard at the expression on Oliver’s face.  
   
“Felicity Smoak. She’s a patient. Where is she?”  
   
“Are you family, Sir?”  
   
Oliver began sputtering, his face growing red. The poor man being held in Oliver’s grasp paled. Thea frowned in alarm and stepped between the two men before Oliver could grab him with his other hand. She tapped the screen of the the tablet he held with one, manicured nail.  
   
“Are we family?” Thea repeated.  She fixed the poor man with the patented icy, Queen glare. “We’re the only family she has. Now, take a look at this and answer the question.”  
   
“I don’t-” he began to say as he looked down at the tablet in his hands. He didn’t get much further.  
   
“You lost a patient???” Oliver exploded and the man gulped. Thea glanced at Oliver’s face. Uh-oh. He was beyond reason. She turned back to the man but before she could say anything, another voice interrupted.  
   
“Oliver.”  
   
Oliver whirled around to find Felicity standing just behind him.  Oliver let go of the man he held by the collar. He pulled Felicity into his arms, squeezing her so tightly she squeaked. Thea grinned and patted the poor man who staggered back after his abrupt release.  
   
“You can go now,” she said loftily.  He nodded, scurrying away as quickly as he could.  Thea turned back to Oliver and Felicity.  They were still locked in each other’s embrace. Oliver’s face was buried in Felicity’s neck and he was murmuring something to her. Felicity was nodding as much as she could in Oliver’s embrace, her hand moving in small, soothing circles on his back.  
   
Thea wasn’t sure what was going on and she was impatient to find out. About an hour ago, Oliver came racing into the house, dressed in green leather. She wasn’t as surprised as she thought she would be at the confirmation of her suspicions. When she tried to ask him what was going on, all she received was a hastily yelled ‘later’ as Oliver disappeared into his room.  She sat outside his room, determined to get answers.  However, an hour later, he still hadn’t emerged. She was about to go barging in when the doorbell rang and Starling City Police stood on the doorstep asking for her brother. To her surprise, it was Oliver that stepped out of the study and not the look-alike guard. She had questions. So many questions.  
   
Felicity looked over Oliver’s shoulder and saw Thea. She gave her a tremulous smile and held out her hand.  Thea reached out and grabbed it.  Felicity pulled her into the hug and Oliver’s arms closed around them both. He kissed Thea’s forehead before he rested his head against Felicity’s. Thea felt just the barest of sighs escape him.  
   
“I have questions,” Thea said and Oliver gave a small laugh.  
   
“Later,” Oliver replied.  Thea huffed but didn’t argue. She burrowed in closer and felt safe for the first time since losing her mother.  
   
“Mr. Queen.”  
   
Oliver looked up to find a man waiting patiently behind Felicity. He held up a badge.  
   
“I just finished speaking with him,” Felicity murmured and Oliver heard the warning in her voice. He looked over at Diggle who nodded. So, Tommy was alive.  
   
“Have you been seen by a doctor?” Oliver asked, his hand going to her side. He felt the bandage around her waist.  
   
“Yes. Just a burn.  It will be fine in a few days.”  
   
“Mr. Queen.”  
   
Oliver gave an audible sigh and focused on the detective. He raised a brow in the haughty Queen manner. The detective didn’t blink, raising a brow in response.  Oliver’s lips twitched.  
   
“Mr. Queen, I’m Detective Brown. Would you mind?”  The detective motioned to an exam room behind him.  Oliver released his hold on Thea, but took Felicity’s hand in his.  
   
“I’m sorry, Mr. Queen, but just you. I’ve already spoken with Miss Smoak.”  
   
Oliver glanced down at Felicity and she gave a nearly imperceptible nod.  He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and then raised it to his lips before releasing it.  He winked at Thea and then followed the detective.  As the door shut Felicity outside, his last glimpse was of Thea taking Felicity’s hand in hers. Family.  
   
“Mr. Queen, can you account for your whereabouts this evening?”  
   
Detective Brown didn’t waste any time on niceties.  
   
“Why?”  
   
“Mr. Queen, please.”  
   
“I was at home.”  
   
“You were at your home all evening?”  
   
“Yes.”  
   
“You never left?”  
   
“No, I never left. Yes, I was home all evening.  The answer will be the same no matter how you ask the question, Detective,” Oliver said with exasperation.  
   
“Mr. Queen, where were you the evening your mother was killed?”  
   
Despite himself, Oliver was surprised at the question. He shifted his stance, removing his hands from his pocked. He was no longer relaxed.  
   
“Why are you asking?” Oliver asked, his voice quiet.

“Will you answer the question?”  
   
“Detective, am I suspected of committing a crime?  Do I need a lawyer?”

Detective Brown studied Oliver for a moment.

“Well, Mr. Queen, that’s up to you. You’re free to leave this room at any time. However, I would appreciate your cooperation.”  
  
It was Oliver’s turn to study Detective Brown. This one was different. Very different. The detective was thoroughly unimpressed with who Oliver was and Oliver couldn’t help but appreciate that quality.  
  
“Ask your questions, Detective. I’d like to get back to my family.”  
  
“Let’s start again. You came here from your home?”  
  
“Yes. With my sister.”  
  
“And you were home all afternoon and evening?”  
  
“Yes. I arrived home a little after three this afternoon after attempting to cross the barricade to get Felicity from the Glades. I was there, on the phone off and on until about 15 minutes ago when the police showed up at my door.”  
  
“Can anyone vouch for your presence other than your sister?”  
  
“My housekeeper for most of the afternoon and then security cameras.”  
  
“Security cameras?”  
  
“My mother’s killer is still at large. I anticipate taking a number of business trips now that my responsibilities to my family company have changed. My younger sister will be home alone more often than not.  I installed security cameras.”  
  
“Are you willing to let us take a look at the security feed?”  
  
“Of course.  What’s this about Detective?”  
  
“Mr. Queen, Miss Smoak was found along with Mr. Merlyn.”  
  
“Tommy?”  
  
“Yes. He was injured and unconscious when we found him. However, he woke shortly after arriving at the hospital. He made some fantastic accusations. Miss Smoak also gave us quite a story.”  
  
“It’s not a story if it’s coming from Miss Smoak.”  
  
“She’s accusing Mr. Merlyn as being the man behind her kidnapping,” the detective said, his eyes sharp on Oliver’s reaction.  
  
“Yes. We long suspected but we didn’t have any evidence.”  
  
The detective couldn’t keep the surprise from his expression.  
  
“Mr. Queen, if you and Miss Smoak suspected Mr. Merlyn’s involvement, why didn’t you come to the police?”  
  
“Like I said, we didn’t have evidence. And, well,” Oliver paused a moment, clearing his throat, “we also suspected he had a few men from the police force on his payroll.”  
  
The detective tapped his notebook against his palm for a moment as he studied Oliver.  Oliver met his gaze squarely.  
  
“Miss Smoak says she now has evidence. She refused to tell us what the evidence is without you being here.”  
  
Oliver nodded but said nothing.  He waited for Detective Brown to continue.  
  
“As for Mr. Merlyn, well, his story is something different all together.  He claims you were in the Glades.”  
  
“As I’ve already told you, I was home. Once I found out Felicity was in the Glades, I was attempting to find a way to get past the barricades to rescue her.”  
  
“Mr. Merlyn is alleging that you’re the Green Arrow.”  
  
Oliver stared at the Detective. There it was. While the statement was made somewhat sheepishly, there was a sharp glint in the Detective’s eyes. He was carefully watching Oliver’s reaction to the question.  Oliver let his lips twitch. He snorted as he pretended to hold back laughter. He coughed.  
  
“I’m sorry…” Oliver said as he started to laugh. “But what?”  
  
Detective Brown shifted on his feet and finally looked away.  For some odd reason, Oliver felt like he scored a major victory with the man.  
  
“Mr. Queen, are you the Green Arrow?”  
  
“No, Detective, I am not. And need I remind you that Starling City Police cleared me of that suspicion nearly five years ago?”  
  
“I understand but Mr. Merlyn is claiming that the evidence Miss Smoak is offering will support his accusations as well.”  
  
“Well, then, by all means, let’s see what Felicity has.”  
  
Detective Brown tucked his notebook into the inside pocket of his jacket.  He motioned to the police officer at the door. He nodded and stepped outside.  Detective Brown took a pack of mints from his pocket. He shook one out before offering one to Oliver who shook his head.  
  
“Remind me, Mr. Queen, why Starling City Police thought you were the Green Arrow?”  
  
“Apparently my return to Starling City coincided with his appearance.”  
  
“Hmmmm. And that was all?”  
  
“You tell me, Detective.”  
  
“I wasn’t on that case, Mr. Queen.”  
  
Oliver shrugged. He was saved from further conversation as the door reopened and Felicity walked in, followed closely by the police officer. He caught of glimpse of Thea and he gave her a reassuring nod.  Diggle stood close by Thea and Oliver exchanged a quick glance with him as the door closed.  Family.  
  
Felicity immediately came to his side and he pulled her in close.  He pressed a kiss to her head, inhaling deeply. God, this woman, he thought as he turned to face her so he could wrap both his arms around her. She didn’t resist and Oliver didn’t give a damn what Starling City’s finest thought. Detective Brown cleared his throat.  
  
“You’ll have to forgive me, Detective. I nearly lost Felicity tonight. I’m not letting go of her anytime soon.”  
  
“The sooner we hear this evidence, the sooner you two can go home,” Detective Brown responded wryly. Felicity laughed in surprise and Oliver eyed the Detective with more appreciation. _Good point_ , he thought and looked down at Felicity. She blushed and he grinned.  
  
“So, the evidence?” Detective Brown prompted. In spite of himself, he was charmed by the couple in front of him. Oliver Queen’s entire demeanor changed when Miss Smoak entered the room. Gone was the haughty heir of the Queen family. In his place was a man so much in love that he didn’t see anyone else in the room.  
  
Felicity stepped out of Oliver’s arms and removed the elastic band holding her hair back. The long blond strands fell softly to her shoulders and Oliver gently moved them back. She held out her hand and he handed her a phone.  Detective Brown looked at the elastic band and his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline as she separated it and then plugged one end into the phone.  
  
“What on earth…..”  
  
“I’m in IT,” was all Felicity said and Oliver couldn’t help smile at how she covered A.R.G.U.S.’ involvement.  
  
“That’s a recording device?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“I - “  
  
“Don’t bother, Detective,” Oliver interrupted. “It’s proprietary. Developed in QC’s Applied Sciences Division. It’s far from being ready for prime time. Miss Smoak was merely testing it and happened to have it on her when she was trapped in the Glades.”  
  
Oliver lied so smoothly that Felicity couldn’t help giving him a look of admiration. He’s getting too good at lying, she thought as she hid her smile. The look on Oliver’s face told her he knew exactly what she was thinking. Felicity connected the device to Oliver’s phone and in a few seconds, Tommy’s voice came through, loud and clear.  
  
_“Careful, Felicity.  Or I just may change my policy on beating women.”_

_“Go ahead,” came Felicity’s voice. “It won’t matter to me.  I’ll be dead.”_

_“Oh, I’m going to kill you. But first, I’m going to enjoy you.”_

Detective Brown let out a low whistle as the recording played on. It ended just before Oliver revealed himself to Tommy and then died out. Or rather, where Felicity erased it.  
  
“Where’s the rest?”  
  
“That’s all. That’s why this device isn’t ready. It doesn’t have a large memory,” Felicity replied.    
  
“I see,” the Detective replied and Oliver heard the suspicion in his voice.  He didn’t address it. Protesting too much would only heighten the Detective’s curiosity.  
  
“Mr. Queen, there is one more thing.”  
  
Oliver waited expectantly as the Detective paused.  
  
“One of the weapons found at the scene appears to match the make and model of the gun that killed your mother. Ballistics won’t be available for another few days but I suspect they’ll be a match.”  
  
It didn’t matter that Oliver already knew. It was still a knife to the heart every time he thought about Tommy pulling the trigger.  
  
“What are you saying, Detective?” Oliver asked, his voice breaking at the end. He swallowed and clasped gratefully at the hand Felicity slipped into his.  
  
“The gun was found near Mr. Merlyn. He very likely could have been the man that killed your mother. Miss Smoak, if you know anything about this…..”  
  
“I know as much as you do, Detective,” Felicity replied quietly.  
  
“You’ll keep me posted?” Oliver said and Detective Brown recognized that Oliver was done cooperating.  
  
“Of course.”  
  
“Then, if there is nothing else, it’s been a long day. Especially for Felicity. We’d like to go home.”  
  
“I appreciate your time, Mr. Queen.”  
  
Oliver place a hand on Felicity’s lower back, guiding her out the door.  As they stepped into the hall, Thea descended on them immediately.  
  
“Are you under arrest? What do they think you did?”  
  
“Gee, Thea, thanks for the vote of confidence,” Oliver replied drily.  
  
“Your track record with cops isn’t exactly stellar, you know.”  
  
“I’m not under arrest. But it appears that Tommy wasn’t who we thought he was.”  
  
“What do you mean?” Thea asked, frowning in confusion.  
  
“Thea,” Felicity began but a snarl interrupted her. Turning, they saw Tommy staggering out of a nearby room.  
  
“You bitch….”  
  
“Tommy!” Thea cried, her confusion more pronounced. Tommy ignored her and rushed at Felicity.  Oliver stepped between them, holding Tommy back by his shoulders. One of the police officers grabbed his arms.  
  
“Get your shit together,” Oliver hissed before stepping away. Tommy stared wildly at him, his gaze swinging between him and Felicity.  
  
“Arrest him! He’s the Green Arrow,” Tommy shrieked, spittle flying from his mouth.  
  
“You need to calm down, Mr. Merlyn,” Diggle said just as Detective Brown came rushing out.  He motioned to the cop holding Tommy, and the police officer began dragging him back.  A nurse appeared with a syringe in one hand.  
  
“He tried to kill me! He’s the Green Arrow!  What are you doing?  Arrest him! I demand you arrest him! Where is the Commissioner? Someone get me the commissioner?”  
  
“The Commissioner’s been arrested, Mr. Merlyn,” Detective Brown said as he popped a piece of gum into his mouth. Oliver and Felicity exchanged startled looks with Diggle. It was already starting to unravel.  A wave of relief swept over her and tears formed in her eyes. Oliver and Diggle flanked her, and she drew strength from their presence.  
  
“Mr. Merlyn, I’m going to ask you to calm down,” the nurse said as she approached. Tommy saw the syringe in her hand.  He began to struggle and the nurse sighed.  She grabbed his arm, and in a motion so quick, dosed him with a sedative.  
  
“He’s the Green Arrow,” Tommy repeated weakly as he slumped in the police officer’s arms. Oliver watched as he was dragged away.  He turned to the Detective.  
  
“Detective Brown, I’m concerned about the safety of my family.”  
  
“We’ll put guards on him until he’s discharged. He’ll be transferred to the prison hospital.”  
  
“You’re going to hold him in custody?” Felicity asked.  
  
“Yes. I just received a call. Apparently, Mr. Malcolm Merlyn was just turned over to us by Federal Agents and he’s cut a deal. Along with your recording, Miss Smoak, we have enough to hold Mr. Merlyn for a very long time.”  
  
The detective nodded his head in farewell and disappeared into Tommy’s room.  
  
“Someone will explain to me what is going on,” Thea stated and her persistence made Oliver laugh.

* * *

“It’s really over,” Felicity said, still not quite believing it.  She was leaning against her computer desk watching Oliver follow Thea around the lair. On the ride to the Glades, Oliver finally explained everything to Thea. Felicity wasn’t at all surprised how well Thea took the news that her brother was a vigilante.  Oliver, on the other hand, seemed to be waiting for the other shoe to drop.    
  
“It really is,” Diggle agreed, one one arm around Lyla’s waist, his hand protectively over her belly. She leaned against him, rubbing his hand.  
  
“Felicity,” she asked, “do you think you could improve the tech on the recording device?”  
  
“Absolutely,” Felicity replied.  
  
“No shop talk...at least for now,” Oliver interrupted.  
  
“I can’t believe this has been down here the whole time,” Thea remarked, wandering around the room.  
  
“After everything I’ve told you, that’s all you have to say?” Oliver asked incredulously. He’d been nervous as he finally told Thea the truth about what he’d been doing for the last five years. Thea looked over at him and smiled.  
  
“I always believed you were more than what you appeared to be.  This only proves I was right.  You should know by now, I’m always right,” Thea said, patting his shoulder as she turned around to walk by him to check out the cases holding his arrows.  
  
“What else were you right about?”  
  
“That I would make the club profitable in less than the time you gave me. We’ve only been open a short time, closed for part of it, but we broke even this month. Next month, we will turn a profit. I look forward to my shares.”  
  
Oliver laughed and tugged her hair.  
  
“What now?” Diggle asked.  “Our focus has been the Cadre for so long.”  
  
“Now, we rebuild,” Oliver said, looking at the map of the Glades left from their searches of the tunnels.  
  
“And the Green Arrow?” asked Lyla.  
  
“There is always work for the Green Arrow,” Oliver said.  
  
“More so now that any type of hierarchy in the Glades is gone,” Felicity added.  
  
“I want to help,” Thea said and Oliver immediately began shaking his head.  
  
“Too dangerous,” he replied.  
  
“Not with vigilante stuff, you dolt,” Thea said, “but rebuilding the Glades. The part the public will see.”  
  
“It’s a wonderful idea. I’d like to help,too,” Felicity said and Thea smiled.  
  
“So, it’s business as usual,” Diggle asked, a slow smile breaking across his face.  
  
“Business as usual,” the others echoed. 

* * *

“I need a shower,” Felicity said as soon as they walked into Oliver’s room at the manor.  
  
“Later,” Oliver replied and Felicity gasped as he whirled her around, her back suddenly against the door. Oliver’s heavy body pressed hard against her and she moaned into his mouth. Her fingers clutched at his hair as she opened her mouth beneath his. Hungry for each other, they ripped at each other’s clothes as they tripped their way towards the bed. Oliver tried to touch her everywhere at once, needing the reassurance of her warm flesh after the last twenty-four hours. Felicity’s hands were equally frantic as she pushed his shirt of his shoulders. Her nails raked across his stomach as she brought her arms back around his neck. Oliver lifted her up and laid her across the bed, his lips never leaving hers. She shimmied out of her leggings, muttering a curse as they caught on the boots she forgot to remove.  Oliver laughed against her mouth before helping.  Felicity pushed him back, her fingers flying over the buckle on his belt.  She shoved his pants down before Oliver pressed her back against the mattress.  Felicity had a brief glimpse of the ceiling before Oliver covered her with his body.  
  
Oliver paused at the angry welt along the side of the body. His fingers stilled on the bandage covering the rough patch of skin.  
  
“Does it hurt?” he asked roughly.  
  
“No,” she whispered, feathering kisses across his neck and chest.  
  
“I hated leaving you.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
“I won’t do it again.”  
  
Felicity stopped kissing him, hearing the very real anguish in his voice.  She looked up at him, but his eyes were fixed on the bandage covering the red streak Tommy’s bullet left across her rib cage. So close. So very close.  
  
“Hey,” she said, drawing his eyes up to hers. “You will. To protect your identity, you will.”  
  
“No. You’re more important than protecting my identity.”  
  
“I know that. Leaving me doesn’t mean you don’t care. It’s part of the deal,” Felicity interrupted. “The city needs you, Oliver. If you were to be discovered, you would have to leave. Or spend the rest of your life in jail.”  
  
“Still.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
Oliver leaned down and kissed her lightly. She captured his mouth, her tongue sweeping in before she caught his lower lip between her teeth. She shifted her hips and suddenly Oliver was buried deep within her.  His eyes closed.  Felicity arched upwards, savoring the feel of him inside her.  
  
“It’s part of what we do,” she whispered raggedly as he withdrew almost fully before rocking back inside her.  
  
“Business as usual,” Oliver groaned as he felt her insides beginning to quiver.  
  
“Our normal,” Felicity gasped, her eyes closing as the world exploded around her.  
  
Oliver rested his forehead on her shoulder as he caught his breath. Her arms held onto him and he felt her lips against his neck.  
  
“I meant this to last all night,” he finally said and she laughed. His body twitched at the movement.  
  
“You promised me a shower,” she replied, lifting her legs to wrap them around his waist. She squeezed around him to keep him inside.  Oliver groaned again and he hardened inside her. Only with Felicity. He ground his pelvis into her’s and her lips lifted in a smile.  
  
“Mmmmm,” she murmured as he began to move lazily inside her.  “Shower?”  
  
“Later.”  
  
Felicity gave a husky laugh before capturing Oliver’s mouth in a kiss.

* * *

It was much later when Felicity finally had her shower. It was her second shower. Oliver joined her for the first and then spent what was left of the morning and the day to make love to her over and over. Despite the lack of sleep, Felicity felt energized.  She finished drying off and heard Oliver come back in the room.  Sun streamed through the bathroom window and she smiled as she pulled one of Oliver’s t-shirts over her head.  
   
“I’m almost done,” she called out.  She smelled something delicious and her stomach growled in response.  
   
She walked out to find a tray on the table.  Oliver stood beside it, a pair of sweats hanging low on his lips. Felicity looked between him and the tray and headed for the tray. Oliver laughed.  
   
“As delicious as you are,” she said wickedly, much to Oliver’s delight, “I’m starving.”  
   
She pulled the lid off and their, still warm, was a plate of cronuts and a carafe of coffee.  
   
“God, I love you,” she said, grabbing the cronut sitting on top of the stack. She was just about to bite into it when something on the plate caught her attention. She froze. Her eyes remained glued to the plate but she felt Oliver’s heavy stare. An arrow head rested in the middle of the pyramid and hanging from it’s tip was the loveliest diamond ring she’d ever seen.  She swallowed hard, and carefully placed the cronut she held on the tray.  
   
“Is that…” she couldn’t finish the sentence, her heart fluttering wildly in her chest. Joy and disbelief warred against her. If she were honest, doubt also clawed at her.  Oliver Queen, the richest man in Starling City, a pillar of society, was apparently asking her to marry him. Her eyes flew up to meet his.  Warm blue eyes met hers, their color brightened with emotion.  
   
“Yes,” was all he said, watching her carefully. She appeared spooked, but Oliver caught the flare of happiness in her expression.  She didn’t say anything, her gaze dropping back to the ring.  
   
“I love you, Felicity. I love you like no other. You are in my heart.  Deep in my soul. I breathe because you breathe. I laugh because you laugh. My very existence depends on yours.”  
   
“Oliver…” Felicity whispered, one hand reaching out to the ring. She pulled it back and looked up at him, her eyes shimmering with tears.  
   
“I cannot imagine my life without you. I refuse to live it without you.”  
   
“You want to marry me?”  
   
“Oh yes. I want to marry you. Save this city with you. Have children with you. Grow old with you. I want to stand by your side for the rest of my life.”  
   
“Oh, God…” Felicity stumbled over her words.  
   
“Don’t answer now. I figure it will take you about six months to accept you are utterly perfect for me and that it is in no way too soon.”  
   
Felicity choked back on a laugh.  Tears streamed down her face at the beauty of this moment and how Oliver understood her so well. She flew into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his chest. He held her close, pressing a kiss to her head. He rubbed her back.  As his hand swept up, the shirt she wore rode up and he found she was bare underneath.  He groaned and Felicity gave a watery laugh as his erection nudged at her.  
   
“You’re cronuts are going to have to wait,” was all he said as he slicked a finger through her folds before they fell to the floor together.  
   
It was over an hour later when they finally ate.  Oliver smiled as Felicity devoured cronut after cronut.  A knock at the door interrupted them but when Oliver opened the door, no one was there. Instead, a pile of clothes lay on the floor.  
   
“Thea’s way of telling us to get our asses downstairs?” Oliver asked and Felicity smiled. She grabbed the clothes and began pulling them on.  Oliver slipped into the bathroom and as Felicity pulled the light sweater over her head, the ring sparkled at her from where it hung on the point of the arrowhead.    
   
She walked closer. It called to her.  Deep inside, the ring called to her. Six months? She looked to the bathroom door and then back at the ring.  She didn’t doubt herself or him.  She didn’t doubt them.  
   
She was standing at the door when Oliver came out in a fresh pair of sweats and t-shirt.  
   
“Ready?” she asked and he nodded. She reached out to open the door and Oliver stilled.  The ring sparkled from her ring finger of her left hand. She smiled and slipped out the door.  Oliver stood in the doorway and listened to Thea’s excited laughter and squealing.  He bowed his head and smiled.  Making his way to stairs, he looked down into the foyer.  Felicity was wrapped in Thea’s embrace.  She looked up and met his eyes.  
  
_You saved me._  
  
_No, you saved me._  
  
_We saved each other._


End file.
